Kevin Techau is a former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa. He previously served as Director of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, and later as Commissioner of the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Kevin is an attorney-at-law in Cedar Rapids. Dean Lerner is a former Iowa Assistant Attorney General and former Chief Deputy Secretary of State. He, too, served as Director of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. Dean is an attorney-at-law in Des Moines.

With the 2026 election approaching, Governor Kim Reynolds and Attorney General Brenna Bird have unveiled a new priority: cracking down on Medicaid fraud. That comes as a big surprise to those of us who know the system and have actually fought Medicaid fraud. 

Why such a surprise? Because our governor and attorney general have long disregarded the most effective tools already at their disposal to fulfill their pronounced objective. 

The real purpose of their newly created “Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force,” chaired by Bird, appears to be generating political headlines rather than meaningful results. And with each task force meeting streamed to the public, they have concocted a pretext for sustained Medicaid fraud political theater.

For years, Iowa legislators have been eager to do whatever the nursing home industry asks of them. The Iowa Health Care Association’s lobbying efforts on behalf of nursing home owners have yielded impressive results. In 2009, the Iowa House and Senate unanimously passed a bill eliminating fines for dozens of violations at elder care facilities. Lawmakers from both parties have lobbied for the industry’s wish list in Washington. They have whined about inspectors “gotcha mentality” and in some cases interfered with the work of nursing home inspectors.

The Iowa Health Care Association’s influence will increase in the next administration. Governor-elect Terry Branstad told Iowa Public Television in October that he will appoint new leadership for the Department of Inspections and Appeals, with a view to more “collaborative and cooperative” work with nursing homes. That’s not good news for residents whose lives literally depend on how standards of care are enforced.