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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![“This new law, which I was proud to help sponsor, puts a stop in this instance to a long-standing and questionable practice of New York State taking settlement funds and dumping them into the state’s general fund to be used for any purpose at all," said Senator O'Mara. “This new law, which I was proud to help sponsor, puts a stop in this instance to a long-standing and questionable practice of New York State taking settlement funds and dumping them into the state’s general fund to be used for any purpose at all.](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/article/main-image/senatechamber_32_14.jpg?itok=t4XFcg8j)
![Senator O'Mara shares his weekly perspective on issues facing New York State government. Senator O'Mara shares his weekly perspective on issues facing New York State government.](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/article/main-image/senatechamber_32_13.jpg?itok=EbAROkBc)
![“This legislation, which I was proud to help sponsor, would put a stop in this instance to a long-standing and questionable practice of New York State taking settlement funds and dumping them into the state’s general fund to be used for any purpose at all," said Senator O'Mara. “This legislation, which I was proud to help sponsor, would put a stop in this instance to a long-standing and questionable practice of New York State taking settlement funds and dumping them into the state’s general fund to be used for any purpose at all.](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/article/main-image/opioids.jpeg?itok=HHLCicOp)