U.S. HHS Confirms Somalia’s UN Ambassador Tied to Company Convicted of Medicaid Fraud
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has confirmed that Somalia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman, was associated with a home healthcare company previously convicted of Medicaid fraud.
The confirmation came via a social media post from Deputy Secretary Jim of HHS, who stated that Ambassador Osman “is in fact associated with Progressive Health Care Services,” a home health agency based in Cincinnati, Ohio. HHS has previously taken enforcement action against the company following a Medicaid fraud conviction.
Ambassador Osman’s name and the company’s National Provider Identifier (NPI) appear on the HHS Office of Inspector General’s exclusion list under code 1128a1—a category indicating conviction for program-related crimes that carries a mandatory minimum five-year exclusion from Medicare and Medicaid programs.
The disclosure comes just days after Ambassador Osman assumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council on January 1, a role that grants him authority to help set the council’s agenda, oversee peacekeeping operations, and authorize military actions.
According to background information included in the statement, Osman previously worked as a supervisor at the Medicaid office in Franklin County, Ohio, and has been listed as a daycare administrator in the state. His reported connections to healthcare fraud have raised questions about his past involvement with U.S. public health programs.
“The same pattern. Medicaid. Daycares. Somali networks. Fraud convictions,” the statement read. “Except this one didn’t just cash out and disappear. He became a diplomat with immunity presiding over global security.”
HHS indicated that more information on the matter will be released soon.
Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman has served as Somalia’s representative to the UN since 2021. His affiliation with a company convicted of defrauding American taxpayers is likely to draw scrutiny amid his high-profile diplomatic role at the United Nations.
Source: Official statement from @HHS_Jim, HHS Deputy Secretary.
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