Authored by AG News Staff via American Greatness,

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Wednesday that the Trump administration has eliminated 189,000 improper government-subsidized health care enrollments, a move expected to save American taxpayers as much as $1.5 billion annually.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) identified duplicate enrollments and coverage associated with deceased individuals across Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The sweeping cleanup is part of the administration's broader effort to eliminate wasteful government spending and prevent taxpayer dollars from flowing to insurance companies through improper subsidies.

"In 2026, CMS identified 189,000 subsidized enrollments involving duplicate Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP coverage on record showing the enrollee has died," Kennedy said during a news conference.

"CMS acted to remove improper subsidies in all these cases."

According to Kennedy, the action will save taxpayers approximately $738 million in 2026, with projected annual savings reaching $1.5 billion in subsequent years.

The HHS secretary emphasized that the improper payments benefited insurance companies rather than Americans receiving medical care.

"Each of those figures represents a payment that would otherwise have gone to an insurance company, not to an American citizen," Kennedy said.

To safeguard against wrongful removal, CMS contacted affected enrollees or their estates and provided a 30-day window to correct potential errors before subsidies were terminated.