JACKSON (AP) — The Mississippi Division of Medicaid says it recovered $8.6 million from health care providers during the budget year that ended June 30.

The agency says in a news release that the misspent money was found through audits of medical claims.

The agency says money can be recovered from providers or beneficiaries for many reasons, including “outright fraud,” such as a provider billing for health services a patient did not receive.

Medicaid is a government health insurance program for the needy, aged, blind and disabled and for low-income families with children.

The Medicaid budget in Mississippi is about $6 billion, with most of the money coming from the federal government. Mississippi is one of the poorest states, so it receives one of the highest levels of federal support.