ALBANY – Pennsylvania, Florida and Puerto Rico lead the list of states and territories where potential Medicaid abuse occurs at the hands of ex-New Yorkers who still bill their former state for medical expenses, The Post has learned.
The three accounted for nearly half of the 3,900 potential Medicaid abusers flagged in computerized record checks between January and March, according to New York Health Department data used in a scathing audit by the office of Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
That figure represents records from only one three-month period reviewed by auditors.
The Post first reported Monday that the comptroller’s office found that about 30,000 people in New York City alone could be improperly participating in the state’s generous Medicaid program, even though they had moved away long ago.
It’s not clear whether they have been receiving two checks – one from each residence – or filing only in New York because it pays more.
Aside from Florida, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts also rank high on the quarterly checks.
Auditors estimated $30 million was spent in one year alone on Medicaid services for city residents living out of state.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo vowed to look into the issue.
“The reporting in the New York Post raises issues of serious concern for us,” Cuomo said in a statement.