Taxpayers lost over $250 million to 288 Medicaid-billing companies crammed into seven mostly abandoned Ohio office buildings, exposing massive waste in a poorly overseen program.
Story Snapshot
- Seven Columbus buildings owned by Cordoba Real Estate housed 288 home health firms that billed Ohio Medicaid for $250M+ from 2018-2024.
- Investigators found offices empty or dilapidated despite huge payouts, raising red flags on “ghost” operations.
- Ohio’s expanded Medicaid waiver covers non-medical services like homemaking with minimal oversight, fueling unchecked growth to 3,700 firms statewide.
- Local elderly population too small to justify scale; ties noted to Columbus’s large Somali community amid low detection risks.
- No charges yet, but story demands federal and state action to protect taxpayer dollars from fraud.
Abandoned Buildings Bill $250 Million
Cordoba Real Estate Group owns seven office complexes along East Dublin Granville Road in Columbus, Ohio. These buildings sheltered 288 businesses registered to bill Ohio Medicaid for home health services. From 2018 to 2024, the firms collected over $250 million in taxpayer funds. Daily Wire reporters visited sites like 1495 Morse Road and 1415 East Dublin Granville Road. They documented empty suites with stray cats, peeling paint, and no signs of active care coordination. F&R Healthcare in Suite 211 received $10 million; neighbor B&F Healthcare got $7 million. Neither appears in state corporate records.
Program Expansion Enables Vulnerability
Ohio’s Medicaid home health program ballooned after a federal waiver added non-medical “homemaking” services such as bed-making and hair care for elderly and disabled enrollees. The state now lists about 3,700 businesses with “Home Health” in their names. Columbus holds just 6,273 Medicaid patients aged 75 or older—far too few to support such billing volume from one cluster. Services occur in private homes, evading easy verification. This low-oversight model mirrors national patterns where fraud thrives in immigrant-heavy areas, including Columbus’s second-largest U.S. Somali population.
Stakeholders Distance Themselves
Cordoba managers Israel Steinberg and Isaac Nasar, based in New Jersey, leased space to the firms. Nasar stated landlords have “no visibility” into tenant operations. The company sold two buildings in January 2025 but retains five. Ohio Department of Health administers the program for 3 million enrollees yet disbursed funds without confirming business viability. Federal Medicaid covers a share of the $250 million. No raids or indictments followed the May 2025 exposé. Daily Wire analysis drew from federal and state spending records, highlighting systemic gaps that drain public resources.
Taxpayer Impact and Reform Needs
The $250 million loss strains Ohio’s budget, diverting funds from legitimate needy seniors and disabled citizens. Short-term scrutiny may trigger audits, risking service disruptions for real patients. Long-term, it fuels calls for in-home checks and tighter rules. Broader effects chill Ohio’s home health sector and spotlight immigrant-community fraud risks without alleging direct guilt. In 2026, with Republican control of Congress under President Trump’s second term, pressure mounts on states to curb waste. Both conservatives and liberals decry elite-managed government failures that mock the American Dream of honest work rewarded.
Persistent vulnerabilities persist into 2026. OhioHealth’s unrelated 2025 office buy signals sector shifts, but Cordoba cluster issues linger without enforcement. Experts note home care’s fraud susceptibility, paralleling OIG reports of 20-30% improper payments nationwide. Taxpayers demand accountability to restore trust in programs meant for the vulnerable, not scammers.
Sources:
Inside Ohio’s Home Health Empire: 7 Buildings, 288 Medicaid Companies, $250 Million
OhioHealth Purchases 130,000 Square
