Today is quickly shaping up to be inverse day: people are annoyed that Bloomberg did such an efficient job cleaning up the snow, Sarah Palin and her manga bangs tried to convice us she was a victim too, and to top it off, the federal government is suing NYC for providing too much care for the poor, elderly and disabled.
The Feds have accused the city of committing Medicaid fraud, and are suing them for civil penalties and damages "of at least tens of millions of dollars." They claim that officials wrongly approved 24-hour home care to patients who didn't deserve or require the help, or failed to get approval for it from doctors, which is required by law. "Patients [received] more services...than necessary or warranted by their condition, resulting in substantial additional costs to taxpayers," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. According to their suit, the government said about 17,500 people have received 24-hour personal care services from the city since 2000, and the annual cost of the services ranges from $75,000 to $150,000 per person. The city Human Resources Administration responded to the lawsuit in a statement by noting that the city helps nearly 42,000 frail and elderly NYers with their daily needs through the program. Perhaps they should subpoena Pedro Espada Jr, who has some experience with the subject.
