New York’s Democratic congressional delegation is pressing a measure to prevent federal Medicaid funding cuts to the state.
Several Democratic congressional members, along with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, want the state to take over the cost of counties’ Medicaid bills, but want the federal government to provide the $2.3 billion to pay for it.
“This is about fundamental fairness,” said Cuomo, who noted the state gives more money in tax dollars to Washington than it gets back in services.
The measure is a counterproposal to one advocated by Republican New York Congressmen Chris Collins and John Faso as part of the failed effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The GOP plan would also free counties from having to pay for Medicaid, but would have required the state to shoulder all of the costs of the shift.
The provision would need the backing of the GOP-led Congress in order to become law. Congressman Eliot Engel concedes that passage “is not going to be easy.”
