A follow-up audit released this month by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli revealed that the Department of Health failed to recover $93.7 million in improper Medicaid payments tied to overlapping coverage with the Essential Plan—despite warnings issued nearly two years ago.
The findings, published June 4, show that only $2 million of the improper payments have been recovered, and most of that amount was unrelated to the issues flagged in the initial 2023 audit. Roughly $36.6 million is now unrecoverable due to regulatory time limits, with the remaining $55.1 million still unaddressed.
“OMIG needs to promptly take steps to recover the remaining improper payments before any more overpayments become unrecoverable due to lookback limitations,” the report urged, referring to the state’s Office of the Medicaid Inspector General…