State Kickback Bans Close Medicaid Gap

Minnesota passed a state criminal ban on kickbacks and tightened billing rules after local investigative reporting exposed systemic overbilling and alleged housing‑subsidy kickbacks at addiction providers like NUWAY and Evergreen. The change fills a gap where federal law existed but state statutes did not, enabling local prosecutors and agencies to act. — If other states replicate this move, it creates a new, state‑level enforcement pathway to protect Medicaid dollars and curb pay‑for‑referral schemes across human‑services contracting.