Legislators Push Back Hard on Cuomo’s Medicaid Plan
Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, and Medicaid Director, Donna Frescatore, took center stage yesterday when they answered questions from legislators about the Governor’s new Medicaid plan. Many elected officials were not shy in making their displeasure known. Several went so far as to raise concerns about the accounting, facts being withheld, the impact of cuts on our most vulnerable residents, and shifting costs to county taxpayers under the Governor’s proposal.
Legislators were frustrated by answers lacking specifics, the blocking of information to legislative staff experts, and the plan by the Governor to create a private, outside panel to come up with $2.5 billion in Medicaid savings whose findings won’t be reported until shortly before the state budget is due on March 31.
Local leaders spoke at length about the havoc this would cause to their budgets, with New York City officials saying that this proposal would mean an additional billion dollars in Medicaid costs. The Governor is looking for these cuts to help close the State’s $6.1 billion deficit, but many see this as just pushing these costs on localities instead of finding the money from within.
NYSRA Westchester Chapter Meets with Elected Officials During Productive Lobby Day
