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Now back on the Blackfeet reservation, Autumn Nelson is among hundreds of Native Americans who have been targeted by Phoenix-area scammers.
The fraudulent charges were submitted mostly through the American Indian Health Program, a Medicaid health plan that allows providers to bill directly for reimbursement of services rendered to Native Americans and Alaska Natives.
Medicaid is cracking down on billing scams that have left some Native Americans homeless and cost states hundreds of millions of dollars. Hundreds were recruited to addiction treatment centers in Phoenix from states as far away as Montana in a widespread billing scheme that mostly targeted Medicaid’s American Indian Health Program. Fraud exploded after rules were relaxed during coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. Arizona's Medicaid program has now suspended payment to more than 300 providers pending investigations.
Autumn Nelson said she was seeking help for alcohol addiction last spring when fellow members of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana suggested a rehabilitation center in Phoenix, far to the
Arizona's Medicaid program has now suspended payment to more than 300 providers pending investigations. Government and tribal officials in other states are warning people in their areas as the fraud's reach becomes better known.