I have been hearing from many of you about your concerns regarding the House of Representative’s plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, particularly the amendment proposed by Congressman Chris Collins regarding Medicare. The Medicaid Local Share Limitation proposal, introduced by Congressman Collins, would bar federal reimbursements for New York State Medicaid funds raised from local governments. Under this amendment, certain local governments would no longer be required to contribute to our State share of Medicaid costs. This proposed amendment is reckless and irresponsible. It would penalize New York State to the tune of $2.3 billion annually, in addition to the $4.5 billion impact over the next four years from the underlying bill. The plan would force the state to take over counties’ share of Medicaid costs without a plan for implementation or a consideration of the impact, and it could decimate our health care system and jeopardize vital state programs. It has long been one of my priorities to relieve counties of their share of Medicaid costs, and in recent years, the state has taken over both the annual growth in Medicaid spending and the program’s administrative costs. Those changes have brought some relief to our local governments, but I’m committed to looking for additional ways to relieve the burden on counties so we can keep property taxes in check. However, once again, the proposed amendment would blow a $2.3 billion hole in the state budget, and for that reason I cannot support it. Doing something that drastic, that quickly, could cause hospitals to close, put vital state programs on the chopping block and put our education funding in jeopardy if we are forced to try to close the budget gap. I’m confident that there are much more responsible and thoughtful ways to address this issue, ways that won’t hurt our local hospitals, burden our state budget, or put the well-being of children, families and seniors at risk. I remain committed to supporting your needs, including good quality health care, affordable housing, and a living wage, among others. In Solidarity,
REBECCA A. SEAWRIGHT