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TAXPAYERS BEWARE
Thomas F. O'Mara
February 23, 2015
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A mid-January report from the state comptroller’s office found that the state Department of Health (DOH) wrongly paid more than 29,000 pharmacy claims, worth nearly $1 million, for thousands of Medicaid recipients already covered by managed care plans.
And just last week, a second comptroller’s report found that the DOH failed to collect an estimated $120 million in available rebates from prescription drug makers.
These are the findings that drive state taxpayers crazy.
For more than a decade, various reports have highlighted wasteful Medicaid spending. Time and again, New York’s system has been characterized as one of the nation's most expensive and wasteful, continually plagued by rip-offs and scams.
Ten years ago, Medicaid spending was roughly $42 billion annually. Now, the cost is about to increase to $60 a year.
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Go to Newsroom!["Even with the tax relief we successfully achieved as part of the current state budget, we have to keep taking actions like this one for family farmers continuing to struggle with high costs and an overall tough economy,” said Senator O'Mara, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/omarafarmer_homepage_0.jpg?itok=dw-tR4Qo)
![“We’re grateful for this state funding that will assist local organizations devoted to the arts, culture and history," said Senator O'Mara.](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/rockwellmuseum_newweb.jpg?itok=LPpwWdYy)
![“Farming has been a mainstay of upstate New York’s culture and economy for centuries and it remains the backbone of many of our communities. But the challenges and the competition are tougher than ever,” said Senator O'Mara, who has been a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee since 2011.](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/omara_cover_farmer3_homepage.png?itok=a4eI3CeC)