On February 25, 2026, Vice President J.D. Vance and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD announced several actions to address Medicare and Medicaid fraud. These actions include: (1) deferring $259.5 million of quarterly federal Medicaid funding to Minnesota; (2) imposing a six-month moratorium on Medicare enrollment for certain Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) suppliers; and (3) implementation of the Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare (CRUSH) initiative. 

During a press conference, Vice President Vance stated that the deferral of federal Medicaid funding to Minnesota will remain in effect until the state develops a new corrective action plan to address fraud in its Medicaid program. Administrator Oz later added that similar funding freezes may be announced for other states. 

As part of the CRUSH initiative, CMS released a request for information (RFI) seeking stakeholder feedback on regulatory changes that could be included in a potential CRUSH proposed rule. The RFI also solicits input on additional programmatic changes that could be implemented to make CMS more effective in addressing fraud. Comments on the RFI are due by March 30, 2026.

The CMS press release can be found here. The CMS CRUSH webpage can be found here. The RFI can be found here. 

Impact on General Dentistry: Efforts by CMS to strengthen oversight and address fraud may result in new compliance requirements across federally funded health programs. AGD will continue to monitor these developments and their potential impact on general dentists. In Minnesota, Medicaid funding deferrals could affect access to dental care for vulnerable populations.