New York Medicaid Director Does Not Commit to Providing Fraud Risk Reports to Congress

The director of New York's Medicaid program, Amir Bassiri, did not commit to providing assessment reports on the state's fraud risk levels to Congress, despite a request made over three months ago by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. During a hearing, Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) expressed concerns about New York's lack of response to the committee's inquiries regarding program integrity and corrective actions. Guthrie emphasized the need for transparency and questioned why the requested information had not been provided. Bassiri stated that New York has been responsive to multiple inquiries but could not guarantee the delivery of the specific information requested by the committee. The committee had previously asked for details on how New York designates and evaluates risk levels for Medicaid providers. Guthrie highlighted the delay in providing this information, stating that it raised concerns about the agency's accessibility to such data. The hearing also included discussions about California's Medicaid director, Tyler Sadwith, who faced similar questions regarding the timely submission of audit documents related to fraud and abuse in the state's Medicaid programs.