REMARKS
Medicaid rates and chronic underfunding of safety net institutions
1:51:19
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119 sec
State Senator Gustavo Rivera discusses the persistent issue of underfunding safety net institutions across New York State. He explains that the problem extends beyond New York City and has been ongoing for years, with Medicaid rates consistently falling short of what's needed.
- The underfunding of safety net institutions is a statewide issue, affecting both urban and rural areas
- Every budget year involves a battle over Medicaid rates
- The state is aware of the underfunding but lacks a long-term solution
- Short-term, tactical approaches are used instead of addressing the root of the problem
Gustavo Rivera
1:51:19
Yeah.
1:51:20
I I do.
1:51:20
I do.
1:51:21
And if and if possible, if I could be just left unmuted, I'm not gonna chime in and everything, but I just would like to not have to do it every time.
1:51:28
The the fact is that this is something that is that is consistent at, you know, with with institutions across the state.
1:51:34
This is not just we certainly were talking here in the city of New York, and we're talking about city down state in particular.
1:51:40
But this is something that is consistent with institutions across the state of New York for as long as I had as my my tenure in the Senate has been 15 years.
1:51:48
I've been the chair of the health committee for just about 6 or 7 of the 6 of that.
1:51:53
I've I've spent a long time.
1:51:54
But basically, every single budget year, there is a battle about Medicaid rates.
1:52:00
And Medicaid rates may institutions that are safety net institutions that serve places just all across the state, not just in in urban districts, but certainly rural districts, other parts of the state, they are underfunded by default.
1:52:13
The state knows this, and does nothing long term to fix it.
1:52:17
And that's the real problem.
1:52:19
The issue here is that the what when you're saying that that they are that they was kind of planned, it was I wouldn't I wouldn't actually I wouldn't be surprised that that was indeed the case.
1:52:30
And when we look over there, when we look at the institution, it is not an institution that is falling apart.
1:52:34
It is institution that is doing the best with the limited resources that it has, and yet the state is saying we're just gonna close it without any real concern for the impact that it's gonna happen in the community.
1:52:45
I certainly thank and counsel member I'm sorry.
1:52:48
Counsel member, Senator, Mary, and everybody who's on who's on the day is right now, who spoke up loudly and said this is we don't wanna have this to happen.
1:52:55
But, again, It is a consistent thing in the system in the state of New York that the state knows is the case.
1:53:02
It is consistently underfunded.
1:53:04
These institutions are falling apart through no fault of their own because of who they serve and yet the state does not have a long term plan here.
1:53:12
There are long term solutions, but unfortunately, it's always short term and tactical for them.
1:53:17
Thank
