FactCheck.org says statements by CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz linking more than $1 billion in deferred Medicaid payments to fraud in California and Minnesota leave out important context. CMS temporarily deferred about $867.5 million for California and $199 million for Minnesota while the states provide documentation for claims the agency considers high-risk. A deferral is a review mechanism and is not by itself a finding that the entire amount was fraudulent. Both states have also described steps they are taking to investigate and prevent improper payments.