Republicans target New York state in health care bill

The clock is ticking to a planned Thursday vote in the House.

I kept my word, and this week Rep. Chris Collins (R-Buffalo) and I introduced an amendment to the House Republicans’ American Health Care Act that would save county taxpayers $2.3 billion and give Albany 2½ years to modernize its Medicaid program. President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan said the measure would be revisited.

The chance to reverse a decision made in Albany more than 50 years ago might be music to the ears of county leaders like Poloncarz. That’s especially true for NY. It cuts health programs in NY and critics say that means millions of Americans would lose health insurance.

Counties, including New York City, pay $7.5 billion a year for Medicaid – while the rest of the nation’s counties that also pay for Medicaid contribute a combined $2.2 billion.

Cuomo led an aggressive opposition against the bill, railing against GOP House members from NY who supported it. This provision would cut off federal Medicaid funding to the state if counties outside of New York City continued paying a share of the expenses. He said legal action against the federal government may be brought if this provision is enacted.

According to the report, the largest impact would be the former Genesee County Nursing Home in Batavia, at $1.63 million; with Orchard Manor in Medina, The Villages of Orleans in Albion, and the Western New York State Veterans Home all estimated at more than $1 million in lost annual revenue. So much for serving your constituents.

The change, one of several revisions to the bill, was pitched as a way to help local governments lower property taxes. “The state has until 2020 to plan for takeover of Medicaid costs from counties and there is ample room in the state budget to cut spending by 1.5 percent to pay its fair share of Medicaid”.

U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., is making a last-ditch effort to sway House Republicans from voting for the American Health Care Act when it hits the House floor today.

“It would probably cut a person’s county tax bill in half”, Stead said.

“Clearly, removing mandates from county government, as a county executive, if I only look at the world through hyper-simplistic lens, it would be fantastic”. To stick Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo with an unfunded mandate? It’s not a bad idea.

But a Washington proposal calling for the state to absorb what counties pay for Medicaid really got under Mr. Cuomo’s skin last week. Because all that money comes from the same taxpayers’ pockets.

County leaders across the state have, for decades, called for an end to a system in which they pay Medicaid costs. State Medicaid reforms, instituted by Cuomo, have included capping the growth of costs for counties.

Faso said Tuesday that he has long supported taking the cost of Medicaid off the backs of counties, which now pay about 13 percent of the total bill.

According to Rose Hoban of N.C. Health News, North Carolina’s share of Medicaid spending was a little over $3.5 billion previous year, which accounted for a bit more than 16 percent of the state’s $22.3 billion budget.

A copy of the resolution will be sent to Gov. Cuomo, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and Congressman Collins, the NYS Assoication of Counties and the Inter County Association of WNY.

The $2.3 billion is within the state’s grasp. The current governor said he too could consider that. New York City would keep its existing arrangement.

“The amendment would make an even bigger hole in the state budget, specifically in the area that serves low-income kids and families, and disabled people and low-income seniors”, said Kathy Breslin, president and CEO of the Albany-based Schuyler Center for Analysis.