Congressman Collins at center of fight over new health care law

Ken Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, said that about 50 percent of Medicaid funds are used to pay for long-term care for the elderly and those with disabilities, including funds for nursing homes, transportation and in-home care.

The governor also blamed Ryan, calling him a “rabid conservative”. “I’m digging in because I think the best way to stop illegal immigration is to keep people from getting millions of dollars in benefits they shouldn’t be getting”.

The per capita Medicaid allotment would represent a better deal for NY than the block-grant proposal in previous discussions, Flanigan said.

“I am certainly not convinced to vote for it”, he added.

New York’s lieutenant governor issued a statement opposing the measure as effectively shifting a financial burden from counties to the state.

NY took advantage of options under the Affordable Care Act to expand health care coverage, so it stands to lose even more than most states.

In Rep. Dan Donovan’s district that covers Staten Island and south Brooklyn, Coney Island Hospital would lose $19.57 million, Beth Israel Hospital system, $9.3 million, SI University Hospital, $5.6 million, and Richmond U. Medical Center, $2.8 million. Chris Collins of the Buffalo area and John Faso of the Hudson Valley, shifts $2.3 billion a year in Medicaid costs from New York counties outside of New York City to the state. “So much for ‘draining the swamp'”.

Many Republicans praised the bill as badly-needed mandate relief, while critics claimed it would shutter hospitals and care facilities throughout the state and gut healthcare for the elderly, poor and those with disabilities. As of Wednesday, it was still unclear whether Republicans would reach that threshold, but it hasn’t been for a lack of trying. Tenney had been leaning toward a vote against the bill.

The change would apply only to Upstate counties, leaving New York City and downstate counties on the hook for more than $4 billion in Medicaid costs. Currently, counties pay for 13 percent of Medicaid costs, and the state pays 36 percent. CAP also pointed out that the earmark specifically for NY negotiated by some of the state’s GOP congressmen would force the state “to make up for this gap with massive cuts to state spending on county aid and other programs”. Cuomo criticized this amendment, which would only be applied to NY state and said it would lead to more hospitals closing.

House GOP leaders aiming to win votes from vulnerable New York Republicans are considering a change to their ObamaCare repeal legislation, several sources told The Hill. The Upstate New York and Long Island economy will falter or collapse if the health sector is damaged.

Letting the counties keep the revenue without shouldering the costs would be unfair, Cuomo said. The Republican budget cuts housing assistance, food stamps, heating projects, community development funds – all at the expense of the middle class and working families – while they cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans.

An outraged Cuomo has argued there’d be no way to make up the difference.

He said in an interview that he agrees with the president that not repealing Obamacare would be breaking a political promise that would hurt Republican in the 2018 elections.

“They want to get rid of the Medicaid, but keep the sales tax – they want to keep the house and not pay the mortgage”, Cuomo said. Now with control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, the reality is carrying that out has proved hard.

His message: Vote “Yes” or pay the price at the voting booth.