Why did Gov. Ed Rendell trash a more extensive, less positive state audit of Medicaid error rates? Because it doesn't suit his political purposes as well as a less extensive, more positive federal audit that does.
Mr. Rendell says elected officials of both parties should stop using the state Department of Public Welfare, which administers federal Medicaid funding, as a "whipping boy" because a new federal audit found a 4-percent error rate in Pennsylvania's handling of Medicaid cases.
But the feds' audit covered just 500 cases. One released last month by state Auditor General Jack Wagner -- which covered 13,789 cases -- told a far different story: a whopping 15.5-percent error rate.
Rendell says the state audit is "out of line and out of whack." And it is -- with his priorities. But it's perfectly in line with taxpayers' priorities. Mr. Wagner says correcting a 10-percent error rate could save $436 million that could help close Pennsylvania's $4 billion budget gap.
Republican Gov.-elect Tom Corbett will consider Wagner's Medicaid audit as he targets all sorts of Harrisburg waste, fraud and abuse.
And expect savings to be found that Rendell -- a truth-fudging tax-and-spend Democrat to the end -- never did during his eight years as governor.
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