Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said new federal efforts will combat healthcare fraud.
The initiative aims to protect taxpayer funds by closing loopholes in the Affordable Care Act's enrollment process. Officials said the current lack of oversight allows ineligible individuals to access government-funded insurance.
During a Tuesday morning announcement in Washington, D.C., on June 28, 2026, the officials highlighted significant gaps in the system. They said that more than 1 million Obamacare enrollees currently lack Social Security numbers [1], [2].
Secretary Kennedy and Dr. Oz said these discrepancies indicate a program plagued by fraud. The administration intends to implement stricter verification protocols to ensure that only eligible residents receive subsidies and coverage.
According to the officials, the absence of Social Security numbers for such a large volume of participants suggests a systemic failure in identity verification. This gap potentially allows for the misappropriation of federal resources intended for low-income citizens.
CMS is expected to coordinate with other federal agencies to audit existing enrollments. The goal is to identify and remove fraudulent accounts while maintaining access for legitimate policyholders.
“More than 1 million Obamacare enrollees currently lack Social Security numbers.”
This move signals a shift toward more aggressive auditing of the Affordable Care Act's enrollment data. By focusing on the lack of Social Security numbers, the administration is prioritizing identity verification as a primary tool to reduce federal spending and curb systemic fraud within the healthcare system.
