A senior official with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that Somalia's U.N. envoy, Abukar Dahir Osman, is linked to a Cincinnati, Ohio, healthcare company previously convicted in a Medicaid fraud case, prompting questions about program integrity and oversight of federal spending.
Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O'Neill wrote on X that he "can confirm public speculation that Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman, Permanent Representative of Somalia to the UN and President of the Security Council, is in fact associated with Progressive Health Care Services, a home health agency in Cincinnati."
"HHS has previously taken action against Progressive in response to a conviction for Medicaid fraud," O'Neill added, but he did not detail the nature or timing of the conviction.
Progressive Health Care Services was reported by Fox News to have been prosecuted in federal court in Ohio for submitting improper claims under the state's Medicaid program, resulting in enforcement action that included exclusion from participation in certain federal healthcare programs.
The reporting indicates the company's conviction was tied to a multiyear fraud investigation totaling several million dollars.
Osman, a career diplomat who assumed the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council on Jan. 1, did not respond to requests for comment Monday through the Somali Mission to the U.N.
Fox News reporting corroborates that the association between Osman and Progressive was first highlighted in public speculation on social media and later confirmed by O'Neill.
It also notes that Osman previously worked in Ohio's Franklin County adult Medicaid unit before his diplomatic assignment.
The developments come amid heightened scrutiny of Medicaid and child care funding integrity following unrelated fraud scandals in Minnesota and other states.
The Trump administration recently moved to pause certain federal child care subsidies nationwide while federal and state authorities investigate alleged misuse of public funds.
The disclosure has renewed broader Republican criticism of Medicaid oversight following a series of fraud cases involving taxpayer-funded healthcare providers in Ohio and other states.
The U.N. Security Council's presidency is a procedural role that rotates monthly among member states. Somalia's tenure in January 2026 places Osman in charge of setting the council's agenda and presiding over meetings, according to United Nations rules.
As Somalia's accredited ambassador to the U.N., Osman would be shielded from U.S. federal and state criminal prosecution for both official and private acts unless the Somali government waives diplomatic immunity.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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