Komatireddy Blasts James Over $137 Million Drop in Medicaid Fraud Recoveries
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 27
Komatireddy Blasts James Over $137 Million Drop in Medicaid Fraud Recoveries
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 27
Summary
$31 million in 2024 Medicaid fraud recoveries, down from $168 million in 2019, is central to Republican AG candidate Saritha Komatireddy’s attack on Letitia James ahead of New York’s attorney general race.
Komatireddy says the decline reflects weaker enforcement under James, citing annual recoveries of $200 million to $300 million under prior Democratic attorneys general and one year with only eight criminal convictions.
New York’s spending on its fraud-recovery program still rose to about $70 million in fiscal 2025 from roughly $45 million in 2020, which Komatireddy argues shows taxpayers are getting less return on a larger outlay.
Federal scrutiny has added pressure: CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz earlier this year asked Gov. Kathy Hochul for details on provider screening and anti-fraud efforts, making New York one of three states to receive such a letter.
Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor, says she would add 20 criminal prosecutors to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, while James’s office did not immediately respond to the criticism.