health

My office is laser focused on Medicaid fraud. Just since 2023: 55 arrests and $44 million in recovery. We root out corruption and get money back for taxpayers. My opponent's words are just rhetoric, I have a proven track record.

Jawad and Junaid Choudhary sought to defraud New York’s Medicaid system out of over $1.6 million by billing for non-existent services, inflating charges, and paying kickbacks,

This is a big one! The right to choose is non negotiable. Proud to earn the endorsement of Planned Parenthood Empire State Votes.

When we need them, nurses are always there for us. The skill and compassion they bring to the bedside get us through good days and bad. That’s why I proudly stand with @nynurses to demand better staffing levels, increased safety, and benefits that respect the care they provide.

Federal investigators are probing New York’s $124B Medicaid program for fraud and waste. Billions in questionable spending. Where was the oversight? Hochul expanded it. DiNapoli missed it. As Comptroller, I’ll deploy real-time audits and a Fraud Strike Team to protect taxpayers. Accountability will no longer be optional.

I’ll be fair about what this data does and doesn’t show. Spending growth is not proof of fraud. Enrollment, wages, and health costs have all pushed Medicaid up. And prosecutions belong to the Attorney General and district attorneys, not the Comptroller. I’m not claiming DiNapoli ran the fraud unit.

New York’s political class and one-party rule let this happen. When I’m Comptroller, Medicaid gets a full forensic audit, and my Fraud Strike Team will track, flag, and stop suspicious payments before they go out the door. Taxpayers will finally have a watchdog in Albany.

This summer, the federal government made the failure official. On June 30, the U.S. Health and Human Services Inspector General denied recertification of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and suspended roughly $60 million in federal funding, finding it the lowest-performing unit among similarly sized states.

Medicaid was created in 1965 to care for the poor. It's an important social safety net. America's poverty rate is 10.2%, the lowest since 1959. New York's Medicaid costs have exploded to about $135 billion a year, nearly double a decade ago. Yet 32.7% of New Yorkers are on Medicaid, second-highest in America. In New York City, it's about 42%. Add the Essential Plan, a free Medicaid-like program, not technically Medicaid, and roughly 39% of New Yorkers are on state-sponsored coverage. In New York City, it's about 52%. Why? More poor people? No. Our poverty rate ranks 13th; Medicaid enrollment, 2nd. Not enough private employers? No. New York hosts some of the world's biggest companies. Maybe those in power want government-run health care. We know how that ends. Canada's median treatment wait tops six months. England's NHS waiting list tops 7 million. And unfortunately, we know Medicaid is fraught with fraud and abuse. Oversight has collapsed. Federal regulators recently froze funding for New York's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the worst among its peers. As Comptroller, I'll keep this safety net strong, but make it fair to taxpayers and free of fraud and abuse. My Fraud Strike Team will follow every dollar.

Hernandez Unveils Fraud Strike Team as Medicaid Costs Surge and Fraud Convictions Collapse

Government is slowly taking over your health care, and they never put it to a vote. In 1960, government paid a quarter of America’s health bill. Today it’s about HALF, and in 2020, public spending blew past private for the first time in history. No referendum. No single-payer law. Just relentless expansion, year after year, until taxpayers are bankrolling a system nobody voted to build. The price? Health spending exploded from $74 billion to $5.3 TRILLION, nearly one of every six dollars in our entire economy. New York runs one of the largest Medicaid programs in the nation at roughly $126 billion a year, and STILL drowns in fraud, provider shortages, and runaway costs. This is government creep, plain and simple. More bureaucracy. Less choice. Worse care. I’m running for Comptroller to demand accountability for every wasted dollar. Albany’s blank check is over. Read my full op-ed here: https://hernandezforny.com/the-quiet-government-takeover-of-american-healthcare/

Hernandez Blasts Hochul and DiNapoli over $55K in Donations Tied to Questionable Medicaid-Funded Adult Daycares

The revelation that fraud in Minnesota’s state-run Medicaid programs may exceed $9 billion should alarm every taxpayer in America. When federal prosecutors say entire programs were exploited at scale, it’s not a one-off failure, it’s systemic breakdown. New York would be naïve to think we’re immune. That’s why, as Comptroller, I will audit day one. We will deploy real-time audit and AI-driven monitoring tools to detect fraud as it happens, not years after billions are gone. And we will establish one of the strongest whistleblower programs in the nation, using existing but underutilized laws to protect and reward those who come forward. Tax dollars are sacred. They must serve the vulnerable, not fraudsters. Accountability starts immediately.

3.6 million city residents enrolled in Medicaid, while the report says nothing about fraud or improper payments.

Since 2010, New York’s Medicaid spending has grown 123%, from $51.8 billion to an estimated $115.6 billion a year. The budget for this year funds a $122.6 billion program.

Use data, not reporters. Analyze claims to flag patterns like Livingwell’s before a newspaper does, then refer suspected fraud straight to prosecutors and the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General.

As Comptroller, Hernandez will create a Fraud Strike Team inside the Comptroller’s office, with its first targets being the fastest-growing programs: transportation, child care, and Medicaid. All findings will be made public.

The Strike Team will use claims analytics to flag suspicious billing patterns, refer suspected fraud directly to prosecutors and the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General, and publicly report every quarter on referrals and enforcement outcomes.

Medicaid exists to care for people who need it, and that mission is corrupted every time a dishonest provider bills for care that was never delivered. Honest providers and patients are cheated when fraud goes unpunished. Taxpayers are cheated too.

ALBANY, NY — Joseph Hernandez, Republican candidate for New York State Comptroller, today demanded answers from Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Attorney General Letitia James after new data showed New York’s Medicaid spending more than doubled while criminal Medicaid fraud convictions collapsed.

On day one, Hernandez will establish a dedicated Fraud Strike Team inside the Comptroller’s Office to audit, investigate, and refer suspected fraud. The team will target high-risk areas including home care agencies, non-emergency medical transportation, and the CDPAP fiscal intermediary transition.

Consider what reporters found this August. A New York Post investigation looked at social adult day care centers in Flushing, Queens. One, Livingwell, billed Medicaid about $27 million from 2018 to 2024 for more than 26,000 patients. Its annual billing grew from roughly $114,000 to over $8 million.

A 2024 audit by his office found no electronic visit verification records for 44% of personal care claims, about $14.5 billion in payments. Finding the problem is the start of the job. Voters deserve to hear what came next.

“One office is supposed to prosecute fraud. The other is supposed to sound the alarm on waste and abuse of taxpayer money,” Hernandez said. “Between them, New Yorkers got a program that costs more and a fraud unit that federal regulators say is failing. Tom DiNapoli owes voters an answer: what did your office do about it, and when?”

When Post reporters visited, they found no patients. Another, Bao Kang, is tied to an owner whose businesses have billed at least $32 million since 2018, and it was empty too. Neither owner has been accused of wrongdoing, and there may be explanations. But numbers like these should trip an alarm long before a reporter walks through the door.

Thanks to Letitia’s work, New York is leading the nation in protecting children’s mental health online and protecting seniors from scams that hurt their health and take property from them.

Our children are suffering from a mental health crisis fueled by addictive social media platforms like @Meta. Now, with our settlement with Meta for up to $17.1 billion, we're breaking this cycle by forcing reforms and urging other platforms to step up to keep our kids safe.

Title X provides reproductive health care, cancer screenings, and affordable contraception for millions of Americans. The federal administration is trying to strip this funding to force states to carry out its agenda. We stopped them before, and we'll do it again: I’m suing.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is trying to illegally use bureaucratic tricks to sabotage the ACA and strip health insurance from up to five million people. I'm suing because health care is not a privilege for the wealthy or the healthy. It's a right that I'll always fight to protect.

We just secured another order stopping the federal administration from illegally stripping mental health care away from the students who need it most. As our lawsuit continues, I'll keep fighting to make sure every student has access to the care they deserve and need.

My office stopped the Trump administration from illegally cutting student mental health funding. Every student deserves access to mental health care, no matter who they are or where they live. https://www.whec.com/top-news/lawsuit-blocks-trump-administration-from-cutting-youth-mental-health-services/

I'm glad the court properly interpreted New York's shield law to prevent Texas from trying to enforce its abortion laws against New Yorkers. New York will stand strong as a safe haven for health care and freedom of choice. https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/texas-lawsuit-ulster-county-clerk-abortion-doctor-21131493.php

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the CDC have stopped recommending seven vaccines for children, including vaccines that protect against hepatitis B, RSV, and meningitis. These vaccines have kept millions of children out of the hospital and saved countless lives. I'm suing.

We're announcing the arrest of Suleman Nasimi, a Queens dentist who stole over $300,000 from Medicaid by billing for hundreds of dental procedures he never performed. My office won't tolerate bad actors who put personal greed before patients.

During my time as Attorney General, my office has recovered over $627 million for Medicaid and was recognized by this very administration for leading the nation in anti-fraud efforts. We are considering all legal options to stop this outrageous action. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-cuts-new-york-funding-medicaid-fraud-unit-2026-06-30/

Health care is complicated enough, and everyone should be able to access care without having to fight for it.   Our Health Care Helpline handled over 5,000 complaints and helped recover over $1.5 million for New Yorkers in 2025.   We're here to help. ⤵️ http://ag.ny.gov/insurance-complaint

NaphCare, a correctional health care provider, allowed individuals to die while in their care after they illegally practiced medicine in New York.  It's inhumane and we took action to stop it. https://centralcurrent.org/new-york-ags-office-bars-former-onondaga-county-jail-medical-provider-from-ny-jails/

At midnight, the ACA tax credits are going to expire and millions will start the new year not being able to afford their health care. Congress needs to act.

We won a court order blocking the Trump administration from censoring effective health education and removing transgender and nonbinary references from school programs.  We're going to continue our lawsuit to ensure young people can access accurate health information.

We secured $400 million from pharmaceutical companies for their roles in a scheme to inflate drug prices and reduce competition. I encourage any New Yorker who may have been cheated by this scheme to submit a claim. https://AGGenericDrugs.com

I'm leading a bipartisan coalition to urge major credit card companies like @AmericanExpress and @CapitalOne to take stronger action to stop the illegal sales of vape products to kids. Our children need to be protected from these addictive and dangerous products.

My office and a bipartisan group of AGs are calling on Congress to pass legislation to protect communities from Xylazine. Xylazine makes deadly opioids like fentanyl even deadlier, and we need to use every tool at our disposal to stop the spread of this harmful drug.

Dollar Tree failed to act quickly after learning their food for babies and young children was contaminated with lead, putting New York families at risk.   My office is holding Dollar Tree accountable and forcing meaningful changes. https://wnyt.com/top-stories/ag-james-secures-over-500k-from-dollar-tree-for-selling-lead-contaminated-food/

AI Chatbots are directing people to an anti-abortion hotline that pushes an unproven "abortion pill reversal."   There's no scientific proof that an "abortion pill reversal" is safe or that this treatment works.   This guidance is incredibly dangerous. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-20/ai-chatbots-give-harmful-tip-to-users-seeking-abortion-reversal

Across the country, states are stripping patients of their fundamental rights. Not in New York. Our state has always been a safe haven for reproductive freedom. It was true before Roe, it has been true since Dobbs, and it'll remain true long after this lawsuit inevitably fails.

This administration keeps trying to use federal funding to force states to carry out its agenda, and time and again, we have stopped them. We're going back to court again. https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-states-sue-block-new-conditions-family-planning-grants-2026-08-27/

Someone who is severely mentally ill should get treatment. So I have put out a plan to build residential treatment centers around the state and launch an Office of Civil Commitment to provide the severely mentally ill with the help they need and put them on a path to stabilization and independent living.