Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Solution to Medicaid Crisis? Big Cuts

Gov. Kathy Hochul just finished signing the last of the New York State legislation passed for the 2023-2024 budget and Albany is already heating up with negotiations for the next one. The biggest fight to come will surely be over Medicaid.

New York’s Medicaid has grown 11% over the last year alone, to a total $35 billion within the state’s overall spending plan, reports NY1. In response, Hochul says she is looking to save more than a billion dollars in Medicaid. State democrats last week proposed alternative changes that “evade” Hochul’s proposed cuts, reports Spectrum Local News. Read about them at the Spectrum link.

SSI Restoration Act

The Autism Society reports that on Jan. 30, three Democrat U.S. representatives reintroduced the SSI Restoration Act. “Currently, over 69 million people receive benefits from Social Security, SSI, or both, including nearly 14 million people with disabilities and their spouses and children,” it writes.

“This bill would improve SSI by streamlining the claiming process, increasing asset limits, setting the minimum benefit at 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, and eliminating punitive reduction in benefits. The SSI Restoration Act would strengthen SSI by supporting independent living of individuals with disabilities and allowing individuals with disabilities to engage in independent work without fear of losing benefits.”

Complex Care Assistant (CCA) Bill Introduced in NYS

The New York Alliance for Developmental Disabilities (NYADD) reports that a bill has been proposed to compensate family members for caring for their medically fragile children, ages birth to 21 years old, who would otherwise require private-duty nursing services.

The New York Assembly CCA bill would require the state Medicaid director to establish a program for specific individuals to become complex care assistants and provide private duty nursing services to certain Medicaid enrollees under increased reimbursement rates, allowing disabled individuals to remain in the home. It provides families with training, oversight and certification.

FYI, the Consumer Direct Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) does not allow for parents to be paid to care for children under age 21.

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