June 8, 2023

Over the past couple of days, we have received significant pushback from the Assembly Ways & Means Committee, regarding our OMIG Audit Reform bill.  As you may recall, in February the NYS Council hired Linda Clark, a nationally recognized expert on Medicaid audits, to revise the bill the Governor vetoed last year.  We also convened a group of over 50 associations/coalitions that support OMIG Audit Reform, and our bill.

This afternoon we turned to our legal team to quickly construct a letter (ATTACHED) that refutes claims being made by certain representatives of the Assembly who think the language regarding extrapolation would tie OMIGs hands when it comes to addressing fraud, waste and abuse.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We sent the letter to the bill sponsor Assemblywoman Amy Paulin to assist her as she fights for the bill.  We also sent it to key Assembly reps and staff who appear to be standing in the way of reform.

Medicaid audit take backs are a significant source of revenue for the state. But when you slam a Medicaid provider unfairly for non-material technical / clerical errors that have nothing to do with fraud, waste or abuse, you cripple a dedicated provider / agency that is essential to the stability of our safety net system.

It’s not over yet.

See attached document.