*$2.7 Trillion in Medicare/Medicaid Funds

*PODCAST EXCLUSIVE* - 2.18.25

To determine the annual amount from the $2.7 trillion in improper payments reported by DOGE since 2003, we need to divide the total by the number of years:

- Total improper payments: $2.7 trillion

- Time period: 2003 to 2025, which is 22 years.

Annual average:

$2.7 trillion ÷ 22 years = approximately $122.73 billion per year.

This calculation provides an average annual amount of improper payments across Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs over the 22-year period, including those instances where money was improperly sent overseas. However, this figure might not reflect the exact annual distribution, as improper payments could vary significantly year by year.

References:

1. **GAO (U.S. Government Accountability Office). (2020).*Improper Payments: Actions and Guidance Could Help Address Issues and Inconsistencies in Estimation Methods**. U.S. Government Accountability Office. [GAO-20-344](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-20-344.pdf)

2. **MedPAC (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission). (2023).*Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy**. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. [Chapter 10: Medicare integrity programs](http://www.medpac.gov/docs/default-source/reports/mar23_medpac_report_to_the_congress_sec.pdf)

3. **Kaiser Family Foundation. (2023).*Medicaid Improper Payments**. By MaryBeth Musumeci and Robin Rudowitz. [Kaiser Family Foundation Issue Brief](https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-improper-payments/)

4. Grok 2.0. 2025.

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