NY Medicaid fraud believed to total in billions

A New York Times investigation has found that Medicaid fraud in New York State may total in the billions. A front page story in Monday's issue of the paper details a series of scams targeting the $44.5 billion program, including one in which a dentist claimed to have seen 997 patients in a single business day. Although details are not yet official, the numbers involved appear to suggest that the fraud may be the largest uncovered in a government program.

The case is slightly unusual in that journalists at the newspaper -- not state or federal officials -- detected the fraud themselves. Reporters at the Times ran a computer analysis of state Medicaid spending which uncovered the questionable billing patterns. The finding is likely to lead to renewed calls for tougher oversight of Medicaid and stiffer penalties for those who break the rules.

- see this story from The New York Times

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