The Trump administration has released figures showing a 7,100% rise in Medicare claims for tissue and organ transplants between 2019 and 2025, with the value of such claims jumping from $200 million to $14.4 billion. Officials say the surge points to widespread fraud, and an anti-fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance, working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has responded by denying 96% of these claims made since March. The crackdown matters because it targets schemes that officials say exploit elderly and sick patients while draining public healthcare funds.

CMS, headed by Administrator Mehmet Oz, identified 4,200 suspicious transplant-related claims (known as allografts) worth $224 million in charges through May 2025. The task force also focused on Durable Medical Equipment (DME) such as wheelchairs, walkers and hospital beds, suspending payments to 102 suppliers and revoking billing privileges for a further 725 — the suspended suppliers accounting for 8.6% of Medicare-funded DME in 2025. A spokesperson for Vance's office claimed the task force had "effectively wiped out" DME fraud within six months, crediting a moratorium on new DME companies alongside enforcement action by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services.