Minnesota Republican Lawmakers Looking at Health Care Subsidies

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Republicans are reviving an effort to weed out waste from Minnesota's subsidized health care programs.

It's not a new issue. House Republicans put forth a plan last year to cut out millions of dollars in spending by cutting individuals who shouldn't have qualified for programs like Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare.

The effort got a new boost from a recent audit suggesting the state spent up to $271 million last year on people whose incomes were too high. Rep. Matt Dean said Wednesday it calls for a fresh check to remove ineligible customers.

Some Democrats and state officials have criticized the Office of the Legislative Auditor's report as misleading. It looked at just a small sample of 157 enrollees and multiplied the error rate across the 1 million-plus pool.