BATEMAN: FAMILY CARE ABUSES ARE OUTRAGEOUS

 

            Media Release March 31

Senator Christopher (Kip) Bateman (R-16)  made this statement after seeing reports that the state auditor’s office found people earning as much $295,000 a year were allowed to enroll in the NJ FamilyCare program for poor families with children:

            “A full reading of the auditor’s report shows that an astounding 873 families with incomes exceeding the legal limit were allowed to participate in this health-care program designed only for our neediest citizens.

            “According to the auditor, no one in state government required that the earnings reported on FamilyCare enrollment forms be matched to the incomes that enrollees listed on tax returns.

            “When the auditor did a simple check against returns, he found three families with income of $295,000, $186,000 and $177,700 had been enrolled for state financed health care.

            “This is outrageous. Every dollar that goes to an unqualified enrollee is money taken from the very needy people who this program is intended to help. Abuse and sloppy management of FamilyCare is equivalent to stealing from the poor.

            “I demand that the attorney general investigate how the unqualified enrollees came to get FamilyCare benefits and prosecute any person found guilty of fraud. The Department of Human Services must take action immediately to match every enrollee’s application data with his or her most recently filed tax return, and then bill anyone who deceived the state for the cost of their health care, plus appropriate penalties and interest.

             “This debacle should give pause to my colleagues in the Legislature who want to expand state-sponsored health care coverage. If this is an example of how New Jersey would administer universal care, than any cost estimates for expanding the program can not be trusted. We should fix FamilyCare before we spend even one minute debating universal care.”

 

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