Health care workers joined hospital management and elected officials at Crouse Hospital Thursday for what’s become a regular call during state budget negotiations to properly fund Medicaid. About 40 percent of Central New Yorkers rely on Medicaid for their health care, but an ongoing funding gap threatens the institutions and people that provide that care. Kevin Lockhart is Vice President of 1199 SEIU, which represents many health care workers.
"Medicaid insurance insurance coverage currently reimbursed hospitals 30% less than the cost of delivering care and 24% less in nursing homes," Lockhart said. "How can New York's healthcare system survive with such inequity?"
Lockhart says the funding gap contributes to racial disparities in health outcomes, and overwhelms hospitals and nursing homes that are already facing understaffing. He says this puts vulnerable patients and residents at risk.
Tori Gushea is a registered nurse at Crouse Health, specializing in obstetrics. She says years of underfunding Medicaid has weakened the health care system.
"No one is immune to the consequences of low reimbursement rates," Gushea said. "People who rely on Medicaid, they struggle to find care facilities like hospitals. Nursing homes and home care agencies, they struggle to afford essential resources. When healthcare agencies struggle, our communities suffer with poor health outcomes."
Gushea says in the end, it's the patients who bear the brunt of the underfunding.
Russell D'Amico is CEO of Menorah Park of CNY. He says nursing homes will close if Medicaid reimbursement rates don't increase.
"Last year we did receive 7.5% increase on Medicaid and that that was helpful," D'Amico said. "However, we were advocating for 20%. When you run the numbers, you can't run an operation with a $100, $120 deficit per resident per day and try to still make ends meet, try to pay your employees a good wage."
State lawmakers are in the midst of negotiating the state budget. Assemblymember Al Stirpe says the majority of members in his Democratic conference say they’ll hold up the budget until Medicaid is fully funded.
"We have to do something about this. We talk about this every year," Stirpe said. "I mean, yes, we did get a little bit last year. It was something we had to work very hard at. I don't know how many days of action we had across the state trying to get people to listen to us. But the bottom line is we can't continue to do this anymore."
The event was part of a coordinated, state-wide “speakout” calling on Governor Hochul to reverse her proposed cuts and properly fund Medicaid. They’re asking for a $6 billion boost for hospitals, and a $1.6 billion increase for nursing homes. The state has $43 billion in reserves.
