By Mark Tapscott

Federal officials made more than $247 billion in improper payments in 2022, with more than half of the total—$132.4 billion—coming from five major Medicare/Medicaid programs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a June analysis by nonprofit government watchdog Open The Books (OTB).

The $247 billion for 2022 was the second-highest annual improper payment total since 2004, when such expenditures were first documented. The two-year total of $528 billion spanning President Joe Biden’s tenure is the highest ever.

To put the magnitude of wasted tax dollars into perspective, OTB calculated that the government spent $20.5 billion per month, $683 million per day, and $474,305 per minute on improper payments.

Payments are considered improper if they “should not have been made or were made in an incorrect amount.”

“Funds can be improperly dispersed because the federal agency had wrong information, couldn’t access information it needed, because the law wasn’t followed, because states didn’t provide the information needed, and more,” according to the OTB analysis.

Among the perennial sources of improper payments are checks to dead people.

Read the full article at The Epoch Times.