Dem. Lawmakers Say “Not So Fast” on Gov. Hochul’s “Conceptual Budget” for Healthcare

ALBANY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, April 28, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — State legislators joined healthcare workers and providers outside of ERs and nursing homes Friday afternoon to say that more needs to be done on Medicaid before a final budget is signed.

On Thursday evening, Gov. Hochul announced a tentative budget deal that caregivers, advocates, and legislators say doesn’t go nearly far enough to protect New Yorkers who rely on Medicaid. Although the Governor claims she’s increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates by 7.5%, the actual amount equates to an anemic 2.5% when considering that she reduced hospital funding by $525 million just weeks ago on April 1, in the implementation of a managed care “pharmacy carve-out.” At a time that healthcare costs are sky-rocketing and NY’s healthcare needs have never been greater, the Governor’s budget is a step backwards, not forwards.

Video remarks from outside Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx by Senate Health Chair Gustavo Rivera, Senator Nathalia Fernandez, Senator Luis Sepulveda, Assemblymember George Alvarez, Assemblymember Amanda Septimo, and Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz as well as b-roll can be accessed for press use here: 4-28 action

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1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East

is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. We represent over 400,000 nurses and caregivers throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.

Bryn Lloyd-Bollard
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
[email protected]