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Obituary:
Vamps fight fire in N. Babylon
Theresa Santmann Page 8 VOL. 75 NO. 22
Page 9
MAY 22-28, 2025
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Massapequa SD files amended complaint over NYS mascot ban By MIKE POLANSKY Senior Correspondent
Courtesy Town of Babylon
Honors for a World War II vet Babylon Town’s Veteran Advisory Board Chairman and Councilman DuWayne Gregory and Senior Assistant Town Attorney Jorge Rosario presented a proclamation to 99-year-old Robert Mancor. He is shown accepting the proclamation from Gregory. Story page 7
Suffolk comptroller recoups $1.67 million from its insurance carrier, Anthem By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com
Suffolk County Comptroller John M. Kennedy Jr. has recovered $1.67 million from Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, the county’s former health insurance carrier, following an audit that uncovered billing errors in the administration of the county’s self-insured employee health plan. The audit, conducted by The Segal Group in coordination with the county’s Labor Management Committee, reviewed medical claims processed by Anthem from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022. The plan, one of the largest in the region, covers more than 45,000 active and retired employees, spouses and dependents from Suffolk County government and Suffolk County Community College. “Since becoming county comptroller in 2015, auditing the county’s self-insured employee medical health plan has been a priority of mine,”
Kennedy said in a statement. “As a result of these audits, my administration has recouped over $10 million in misspent medical costs for the taxpayers of Suffolk County.” The 2022 audit reviewed $280 million in invoices — a “high billing year,” according to Kennedy’s office — and identified numerous non-fraudulent billing errors. These included undercharging or failing to charge member copayments, leading to overcharges to the county, as well as duplicate claims, incorrect pricing, and overpayments for acupuncture, chiropractic and physical therapy services. The most significant financial issue was systemic coordination errors with Medicare claims. Anthem responded by emphasizing its cooperation during the audit process. “During the recent audit of 2022 claims, we worked transparently and in full cooperation CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
The Massapequa School District filed an amended complaint May 19 in its legal challenge of New York State’s directive to eliminate Native American names and imagery from public school mascots. The outcome of that legal battle, to preserve the “Chiefs” name and logo, could have implications not only for Massapequa but for schools throughout the state. Oliver Roberts, a Massapequa native, is representing the district pro bono in its effort. Roberts is an associate and co-head of the AI Practice Group at the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak, where he also works in constitutional, tax, political, and commercial law. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Margo K. Brodie dis-
missed the original lawsuit filed by Massapequa and three other Long Island school districts— Wantagh, Wyandanch and Connetquot—on March 27, but allowed the plaintiffs 30 days to amend their complaint. That deadline was later extended to May 19. Roberts represents only the Massapequa district, while the other three continue to be represented by the original law firm, Sokoloff Stern. Both legal teams are coordinating their efforts, according to officials, hoping for a decision that will allow them to preserve their logos and mascots, which they maintain honor Native American history and are an integral part of their communities. In a May 5 letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, Roberts argued that the New York State Board of CONTINUED ON PAGE 7