“$1,500 PER CHILD!” — Dr. Oz Exposes Shocking Minnesota Medicaid Fraud Scheme Where Mothers Were Allegedly Paid to Falsely Claim Their Children Had Autism

The Medicaid fraud scandal in Democrat-run Minnesota just took another disturbing turn.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz revealed Tuesday that fraudsters allegedly paid mothers as much as $1,500 per child to falsely claim their children had autism, exploiting vulnerable families and draining taxpayer-funded healthcare programs.

And according to Oz, the damage went far beyond stolen taxpayer dollars.

During an October 20 appearance alongside President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, Oz described how fraudulent autism service providers allegedly exploited children to collect Medicaid reimbursements, leaving some youngsters burdened with inaccurate medical diagnoses while families genuinely needing services faced additional obstacles.

“Moms were getting bribed $1,500 a kid to lie that their child had autism,” Oz said.

BREAKING: Dr. Oz just revealed one of the sickest fraud schemes in Minnesota, and it targeted kids with autism.

Per Oz, moms were being bribed $1,500 a kid to falsely claim their child had autism. Those kids got saddled with a fake diagnosis, and real families who needed help got shoved aside.

Oz said it plainly: “Fraud does not just steal our money. Fraud steals people’s lives.”

After Nick Shirley’s reporting, CMS found that a third of all providers in Minnesota’s 14 high-risk areas couldn’t be validated. Dozens of cases are now underway.

They used sick kids as a piggy bank. Lock up every last one of them.

— Gunther Eagleman (@GuntherEagleman) October 20, 2026

The CMS administrator warned that falsely labeling a child autistic could have lasting consequences, while fraudulent claims also diverted resources intended for children with legitimate developmental needs.

“Fraud doesn’t just steal our money. Fraud steals people’s lives, and it also steals our trust as a nation,” Oz declared.

This is not new. The Gateway Pundit previously reported extensively on the same pattern under Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.

In January, TGP covered Oz ordering a full-scale federal audit of Minnesota Medicaid, noting that bad actors, largely tied to the state’s Somali community, had gamed programs including autism services, offering kickbacks to parents for enrolling children in fake treatment centers while using the proceeds for flashy cars, overeas real estate, and more. Walz’s administration, Oz said at the time, had been “asleep at the wheel,” with leaders reportedly hesitant to act forcefully out of fear of political backlash from a key voting bloc.

Earlier coverage detailed how the state’s autism program ballooned amid minimal oversight, with only a handful of hundreds of centers applying for proper licenses and widespread billing for services never delivered by unqualified staff.

Senator John Kennedy highlighted on the Senate floor the bribery of Somali parents, $400 to $1,500 per child, to obtain false certifications, with one operator also linked to the infamous Feeding Our Future child nutrition fraud.

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