Guest Column: State Sen. George Winner

“Zero Tolerance”

ALBANY, Feb. 8 -- One year ago, in February 2009 -- according to Gallup.com -- nearly 60% of Americans favored spending $787 billion in federal stimulus aid as a way to jump-start the national economy. By last August, Gallup reported a dramatic turnaround: 65% of its poll respondents were saying no thanks to new federal stimulus spending.

Government spending, in other words, has fallen out of favor. That’s not surprising to me. I'm hearing the same message on state spending. I receive letters and e-mails every single day that read something like this one from a constituent chastising the decisions being made by Albany's current leaders: “Run the state like we run our households. If we can’t afford a Mercedes, then we buy a Chevy, or we don’t buy at all. The state must start living within its allotted budget.”

Not only that, but if New York government is truly serious about getting a handle on spending, then Albany’s leaders have to zero in on waste.

So last week I was glad to be appointed to serve on a new task force, the Senate Republican Task Force on Medicaid Fraud. New York government has a responsibility to eliminate abuse and waste in government spending, and we know that the Medicaid system remains a prime target. Medicaid plays a vital, fundamental, legitimate role in the health and well-being of millions of New York’s working families, persons with disabilities, seniors, and others.

The system was never intended, however, to bankroll unscrupulous providers or dishonest recipients.

Despite all the tough talk that’s gone on through the years, despite the creation three years ago of a new Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG) to get tough on abusers, a move that I co-sponsored and helped develop -- despite it all, state taxpayers lose hundreds of millions of dollars to rampant abuse and fraud in the $50 billion Medicaid system.

Why? Why can’t New York put a stop to the sensational scams and rip-offs that still define this system in too many ways? It’s time to find out. The urgency of the state’s fiscal crisis demands a renewed focus on this fraud. In his proposed 2010-2011 state budget, Governor Paterson increased the target for Medicaid fraud recovery by $300 million, but that’s not nearly enough.

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that as much as 10 percent of a state’s Medicaid expenses are lost to fraud. In New York, this would mean that state taxpayers are losing more than $5 billion to Medicaid fraud.

While over the past three years the OMIG has helped New York undertake some stepped-up anti-fraud efforts, it still falls woefully short. Last December, for example, the state comptroller’s office released audits showing nearly $100 million in Medicaid overpayments, billing errors, and other problems. A report issued last month by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ranks New York 26th in the nation in Medicaid fraud recovery, based on the number of fraud dollars recovered per federal Medicaid dollar spent. According to the report, states such as Missouri and North Carolina recover about three times as much in Medicaid fraud, while six other states recover twice as much as New York.

It’s way past time to put in place a “zero tolerance” policy to combat the millions upon millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars being lost to Medicaid fraud and waste.

So we’re going to hold public hearings. We’re going to try to get answers. Most importantly, we’re going to issue recommendations for preventing abuse, recovering improper expenditures, and prosecuting criminal acts.

It’s time for a bare-knuckles effort to repossess the potentially billions of state taxpayer dollars being lost to abuse, fraud, and waste within Medicaid. If not now, when?

Photo in text: State Senator George Winner

Schuyler County Officials

Legislature Members:

Top row (from left): Thomas Gifford, Dennis Fagan, Doris Karius, Glenn Larison

Bottom row: Michael A. Yuhasz, Barbara Halpin, Paul Marcellus, Stewart Field

Legislature Chairman

Thomas M. Gifford, 535-9517

Legislature Members:

Michael A. Yuhasz, 535-4967

Doris L. Karius, 546-5544

Barbara Halpin, 594-3683

Glenn R. Larison, 594-3385

Dennis Fagan, Tyrone

Paul Marcellus, Watkins Glen

Stewart Field, Reading Center

County Clerk: Linda Compton, 535-8133

Sheriff: William Yessman, 535-8222

Undersheriff: Breck Spaulding, 535-8222

County Treasurer: Margaret Starbuck, 535-8181

District Attorney: Joseph Fazzary, 535-8383

State, Federal Officials for Schuyler County

Sen. Charles E. Schumer

United States Senate
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3201
DC Phone: 202-224-6542
DC Fax: 202-228-3027
Email Address: http://schumer.senate.gov/webform.html

Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand

United States Senate
478 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
DC Phone: 202-224-4451
Website: http://gillibrand.senate.gov/

U.S. Rep. Eric Massa

United States House of Representatives
1208 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
DC Phone: 202-225-3161
DC Fax: 202-226-6599
Website: http://massa.house.gov/

State Senator George H. Winner, Jr. -- Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Yates, western Tompkins, Enfield, Ithaca (Town and City), Newfield, Ulysses(Trumansburg)

Room 415, Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
Phone: (518) 455-2091
Fax: (518) 426-6976
www.senate.nyssenate53.com

Assemblyman Tom O’Mara -- Chemung, Schuyler, Tioga
Room 720, Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12248
Phone: (518) 455-4538
Website: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=137

Assemblyman James G. Bacalles -- Steuben, Yates
439 Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12248
Phone: (518) 455-5791
Website: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=136