MacIver Investigation Update: DOJ Targets Firm Evers' Admin Awarded Medicaid Contract

DOJ Sues Wisconsin's New IRIS Provider, PPL

Troubling developments in New York should serve as a stark warning for Wisconsin patients that rely on the state's IRIS Medicaid program. On June 16, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit against New York’s Department of Health, its Medicaid Director, and Public Partnerships LLC (PPL), the company Wisconsin's Department of Health Services just selected as the sole fiscal employer agent for IRIS.

In the lawsuit, the DOJ alleges a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme in New York’s $10+ billion Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP). According to the complaint, PPL secured the contract through a “sham bid process,” then deviated from its promises, pocketing unauthorized profits from federal Medicaid funds while the state failed to hold it accountable. Patients have faced payment delays, service disruptions, and bureaucratic chaos—issues that echo warnings we raised months ago when Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services (DHS) moved to consolidate IRIS FEA services under a single provider.

MacIver’s earlier reporting highlighted PPL as a frontrunner despite its checkered track record in other states, including New York, and questioned the wisdom of handing over a roughly $1.4 billion annual program affecting 30,000 Wisconsinites to a company with documented struggles in payroll processing, customer service, and program transitions.

DHS sold the shift from multiple fiscal agents to one with a promise of greater efficiency and cost savings. But patient advocates have raised concerns over both the reduced options from the move as well as the selection of PPL. The unfolding New York fiasco highlights these possible downsides: higher administrative burdens on participants, delayed payments to caregivers, and weakened accountability.

In New York, the transition to PPL as the sole fiscal intermediary led to widespread complaints of missed paychecks, unresponsive support, and service gaps that forced some vulnerable individuals into nursing homes or left them without care. The DOJ suit accuses state officials of turning a blind eye even after learning of PPL’s plans to generate extra revenue outside the contract terms.

For Wisconsin IRIS participants—who hire and direct their own caregivers—the stakes are personal. IRIS empowers independence for seniors and adults with disabilities, relying on reliable fiscal services for payroll, taxes, and compliance. Any repeat of New York’s chaos could erode that freedom, strain caregiver recruitment, and burden taxpayers with inefficiency or fraud risks. MacIver has long advocated for competitive bidding, rigorous oversight, and prioritizing participant choice over centralized control.

DHS selected PPL in early 2026 after a bidding process, citing its national experience. But with federal prosecutors now intervening in New York, Wisconsin policymakers must demand full transparency. How will DHS monitor PPL’s performance here? What contingency plans exist if payment or service issues arise? And will the state revisit safeguards to protect IRIS participants from out-of-state missteps?

This unfolding scandal underscores a broader conservative principle: government programs serving the vulnerable demand strict accountability, not cozy contracts or blind trust in private administrators. MacIver will continue tracking this closely. Wisconsin families deserve better than to become the next cautionary tale. State leaders should act now—before problems in New York become Wisconsin’s reality.