Medicare Double-Dipping Costs Nassau County Taxpayers
Nearly 100 retirees from Nassau County have been caught collecting Medicare reimbursements improperly for over two decades, leading to a taxpayer loss exceeding $1.6 million. This finding comes from a recent audit.
Released on June 15 by County Auditor Elaine Phillips, the audit revealed that about 94 retired county employees received Medicare Part B reimbursements from Nassau County for their spouses, who were also retired public employees. The twist? These spouses were simultaneously receiving payments for the same bills from their own previous employers.
“Tackling unnecessary double-dipping in healthcare benefits is quite complicated, mainly due to the need to coordinate across various plans and eligibility criteria,” the Comptroller stated. There’s a promise to enhance monitoring of these verification processes.
State law, along with union agreements, mandates that Nassau reimburse eligible retirees and their spouses for Medicare Part B premiums—essentially, the monthly fee for doctor visits and outpatient care. However, there’s a rule: retirees can only get their refund from one source, and payments are adjusted semiannually.
Despite these regulations, oversight appears lacking. Phillips’ office initiated an investigation back in October after noticing duplicate payments dating as far back as 2002. They subsequently examined the health insurance records of all 10,240 Nassau retirees and identified 99 cases as suspicious.
Of the flagged cases, five spouses managed to clear their names by demonstrating they hadn’t collected funds elsewhere, while 94 were confirmed as instances of double-dipping.
As of June 1, only about $260,000 had been returned, leaving an alarming $1.36 million still unaccounted for. Since the audit, 39 retirees have voiced grievances about repayment letters sent by the comptroller’s office. Interestingly, 55 others have not replied at all, yet none have faced criminal charges from Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
