Audit Flags Nearly $900,000 in Political Payments by Failed Trust

 By Michael Whiteley, Eastern Bureau ChiefA forensic audit of one of New York's failed group self-insured trusts shows the group spent nearly $900,000 on campaign contributions and lobbying costs despite warnings dating back to at least 2004 that the spending violated state regulations.The audit of Health Care Providers Self-Insurance Trust (HCPSIT), submitted to the State Workers' Compensation Board on Sept. 21, alleges the trust made contributions to a political action starting in 1995 and totaling $70,000. The audit said HCPSIT improperly spent more than $800,000 to lobby state...