Committee Supports Federal Legislation To Bar States From Requiring County Medicaid Contributions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 17, 2007
Contact: Melanie Montalto, (914) 995-8620 or Sally Schecter, (914) 995-2832
The County Board’s Family, Health and Human Services Committee has endorsed federal legislation that would bar state governments from passing along a portion of their Medicaid costs to counties.
At its August 14 meeting, the committee referred to the full Board of Legislators for approval a resolution supporting the Medicaid County Protection Act of 2007 (HR 326), introduced by Congressman G. K. Butterfield of North Carolina. New York and North Carolina are the only states that require Medicaid contributions from counties. The resolution, which would be sent to all members of New York State’s congressional delegation, had previously been passed by a county in upstate New York.
“New York State has the most expensive Medicaid program in the nation,” the resolution stated. “Its spending, per recipient, is the highest in the country, with costs that nearly exceed those of California and Texas combined.”
Board of Legislators Majority Leader Martin Rogowsky (D-Harrison) brought the federal legislation to the attention of his fellow committee members. The federal government and the states split Medicaid costs, each paying 50% of the total costs. Rogowsky said counties in New York pay 50 percent of the state’s Medicaid share, except for long-term care, for which counties pay 10 percent of the state’s share. “Some of the counties are paying 100 percent of their property taxes on Medicaid,” he said.
The rest of the committee members lent their support to the resolution. “This is a perfectly reasonable thing,” Legislator William Burton (D-Ossining) said, adding that 40% of the county’s share of property tax revenues revenues are used to pay for Medicaid.
Text: 
Print:
