Padavan calls on Medicaid inspector general to crack down on Medicaid fraud

ALBANY - Senator Frank Padavan Tuesday called on Medicaid Inspector General James Sheehan to take immediate action to recover the tens of millions of dollars New York State is losing each year because of former residents who remain enrolled in the State’s Medicaid system and continue to receive benefits despite having left the State.

According to reports about an audit by the New York State Comptroller’s Office, nearly 30,000 people in New York City alone were improperly enrolled in the State’s Medicaid system between November 2006 and November 2007. While the audit shows that almost 13,000 former New York City residents should have been investigated for violations of the State’s Medicaid laws, only 207 cases were investigated.

“When it was uncovered that billions of dollars were lost due to fraud within the Medicaid system, my Senate Majority colleagues and I lead the fight and successfully instituted comprehensive legislation that made New York the national leader in combating fraud, waste and abuse in the Medicaid system,” Padavan said. “In light of the recent and startling discovery by the Comptroller that thousands of former New Yorkers are bilking and ripping off hard working New York taxpayers, I am calling for the Medicaid Inspector General to immediately and swiftly investigate each individual instance of fraud mentioned in this audit, aggressively recoup the millions of state tax dollars lost and prosecute the individuals involved to the fullest extent of the law.