The state collected over $160 million in drug rebates under the state's Medicaid Drug Rebate Program after correcting problems identified by auditors from the office of State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, according to a pair of audits released today. Auditors also found that more than $78 million in rebates have not been submitted to drug manufacturers, but could still be collected by the state Department of Health (DOH).

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump's latest Executive Order:

The state Department of Health (DOH) could have saved the Medicaid program as much as $146 million over a six-year period if it had helped Medicaid patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) who meet certain eligibility requirements get the Medicare benefits to which they are entitled, according to an audit released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

"The Trump Administration’s willful ignorance of climate change will jeopardize our chances of avoiding catastrophic changes in our climate, but it will not halt the momentum in the global marketplace where reason still reigns. The transition to a lower carbon future is underway; it is inevitable; and it is the direction the rest of the world is headed. If news reports are accurate, the administration's plan to withdraw from the Paris Agreement means that the U.S. will stand on the sidelines while other nations enjoy the economic benefits of participating in the next energy revolution.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund, released the following statement today in response to a majority shareholder vote of 62.3 percent in support of the Fund’s request that ExxonMobil do more to address climate change.

On the eve of ExxonMobil’s annual meeting, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, as Trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund (Fund), and the Church of England, called on ExxonMobil to agree to their request that the company address how it will be affected by worldwide efforts to adopt the goals of the Paris Agreement to rein in climate change. In recent weeks, similar proposals have won a majority at two energy companies and record high votes at several others.

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today his office approved 903 contracts valued at $1.23 billion and approved nearly 4.2 million payments worth nearly $11.5 billion in April. His office also rejected 168 contracts and related transactions valued at $24.76 billion and nearly 5,900 payments valued at nearly $8.1 million due to concerns about fraud, waste or other improprieties.

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is encouraging New Yorkers who face college expenses to open a 529 College Savings account to start saving now to help with the costs of getting a degree.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's latest figures from 2015, the nationwide average student loan balance is $29,700 and New Yorkers owe an average of $32,200. As the cost for a college education increases, more young people are struggling with the realities of paying off their college loans.

"The President's budget does not prioritize the needs of the middle-class or the most vulnerable among us. The budget, while cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans, would decimate vital programs that millions of New Yorkers rely on. His proposal also creates real consequences for the state budget, putting New York's taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollars in eliminated federal funding."

Here are some of the programs put at risk by the President’s proposed budget:

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced that the New York State Common Retirement Fund (Fund) earned an estimated 11.42 percent return on investments in the state fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2017. The Fund has an estimated value of $192 billion.