Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, emerging as a pit bull against Medicaid fraud, is pushing legislation that could help greatly with his cause.
The bill creates a registry of qualified home health- and personal-care workers.
Who could be against that?
Well, no one – except, maybe, the home-care con artists.
True, key players on both sides of the aisle appear to back the bill. But will it actually make its way into law?
And what a disgrace if it doesn’t.
Already, Cuomo’s probes of the home health-care industry have cited thousands of bogus workers. Scores of supposedly certified aides, nurses and school managers have been convicted.
All told, the AG has brought charges totaling some $70 million in fraud. Meanwhile, Medicaid, which pays the costs of much of the care, is a known playpen for scammers – losing possibly billions each year in waste and corruption.
Cuomo’s registry would list vital information about each worker’s qualifications – including the results of criminal background checks.
Schools that offer certifications would have to provide sworn statements, subject to perjury charges, attesting that students have successfully completed their studies and that the schools have verified the ID’s of each student.
No, such a database won’t screen out all the rotten apples.
But it’s a necessary start.