State lawmakers said Wednesday they have no plans to investigate the state's process for winning $9 billion contracts for the Medicaid home care program, and accusations that Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration rigged the bidding war will go to court. He said that it should be left to the
U.S. Rep. Richie Torres, a Bronx Democrat, sent a letter Tuesday to state Inspector General Lucy Lang and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector general questioning how Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration handled the $9 billion contract. I requested an investigation.
This fall, Hochul announced that his Georgia-based company, Public Partnership LLC, will provide consumer-directed personal assistance that provides independent home care to seniors and people with disabilities and pays their loved ones as caregivers. announced that he would oversee the program.
Torres, who is aiming to run for governor in two years, announced last week that a home health care provider filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court accusing Hochul's administration of rigging the bidding process through backroom deals earlier this year. and asked for an investigation.
“If the governor insists that the bidding process was truly competitive, he should make all the bids public and reveal the process by which each bid was evaluated,” Torres said at a news conference in New York City. Ta.
The state Department of Health took charge of the procurement process after State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office was exempted from the decision as part of the state budget agreement.
A spokesperson for DiNapoli's office said: “We have no knowledge of vendor selection.” “While we do not choose the law enforcement agency to which this matter is referred, we regularly cooperate with and assist law enforcement investigators.”
But state lawmakers said a separate investigation into the bidding process would not help future budget discussions or help New Yorkers avoid health care disruption.
“I will make sure that care is not compromised, that patients have the helpers they need, and that taxpayer money is spent wisely,” Congressman John McDonald said Wednesday. We're putting more emphasis on that.”
Mr. MacDonald is the chairman of the Legislature's Government Operations Committee and is the brother of state Health Commissioner Dr. James MacDonald.
He said the state Legislature has no interest in separately investigating the bidding process, adding that he is confident the state health department took appropriate steps to award the contract.
“The department knew this was going to be subject to a very high level of scrutiny,” he told Spectrum News 1. “I would be surprised if they deviated from the norm, but they Let's leave it to the court to decide.”
PPL begins transitioning from 700 accounting intermediaries that have processed payroll with little oversight to more than 250,000 New Yorkers who rely on the program, leading to widespread fraud . This change is scheduled to take effect on April 1st.
The lawsuit alleges that Hochul violated the state's public contract law by selecting PPL before bidding began. Carlos Martinez, executive director of Rockland County home care agency Bridges, filed an affidavit in April alleging that he was told by state disability officials that the state would later contract with PPL to take over the program. Submitted.
“There is a history of bid rigging, bribery, and very problematic conduct related to public bidding,” said attorney Akiva Shapiro, who is representing the home health care providers in the case. “The state's contract laws are designed to root out such potential corruption.”
A spokeswoman for Mr. Hochul's office said no state officials knew which companies would be awarded five-year, multibillion-dollar contracts this spring. And the PPL was chosen after the department reviewed and scored more than 100 proposals.
“Richie Torres is defending a status quo of waste and fraud that derails much-needed reform, harms New York State taxpayers, and makes CDPAP unsustainable for home care users who need it. “It appears that he is trying to do so,” said a spokesperson for Hochul's office. “I don't think that's a very good use of my time, and his letter is full of false claims anyway. So we continue to focus on delivering a stronger and more effective CDPAP. The transition is expected to take effect by April 2025. ”
Senate Health Committee Chairman Gustavo Rivera continues to oppose reducing the 700 financial intermediaries to one under CDPAP. He has proposed a bill that would reverse the transition and replace it with a licensing process that would increase oversight of financial institutions that process payroll.
But senators agree the investigation won't help New Yorkers who rely on home health programs.
“Unfortunately, the investigation into the PPL contract does not address the real problems that hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers may face in the coming months, whose care will be upended, nor will the investigation into the PPL contract address the It does not help employed workers or workers, who may lose their jobs,” Rivera said in a statement. “That is why I have continued to voice my concerns ever since it was announced that the country would abolish all current fiscal intermediaries and replace them with a single entity. It will give us enough time to ensure transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility.'' York residents who want to choose a caretaker through CDPAP. ”
Several senators, including Senate Government Operations Committee Chairman James Skoufis, did not respond to requests for comment. Assembly Health Committee Chairwoman Amy Paulin declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the state Office of Inspector General confirmed that the agency received Torres' letter and said the agency conducts thorough, independent and comprehensive investigations into all complaints under its jurisdiction. But the inspector general will not comment on the status of an investigation unless a formal finding of wrongdoing is made public.
