One
Voice
2018 Sneak Peak:
A Tumultuous Year Ahead
F
ederal tax reform. Medicaid Block Grants. $4 billion state budget deficit. Democratic
unification in the State Senate. Staffing ratios. Medicaid cuts.
All indications point to 2018 shaping up to be a turbulent year for advocacy and with
a slew of potential damaging cuts and mandates for long term care programs and
providers.
Ami Schnauber
Federal Outlook
On the federal level, tax reform proposals will make it harder to build affordable senior
housing, retirement communities and renovate health care facilities. The elimination
on tax-exempt bond funding will further limit the State’s ability to move forward with
health transformation grants.
Congress is also continuing its attempt at reforming or overturning the Affordable
Care Act. Such proposals have contemplated the inclusion of Medicaid Block Grants
to the states. Given New York’s generous Medicaid benefits and large number
of enrollees, Block Grants would mean significantly less money from the federal
government. The only way to manage such a significant loss of money is through
changes in benefits and eligibility.
State Outlook
Back in New York, the State is estimating a more than $4 billion budget deficit for the
2018-2019 state fiscal year. We expect to see significant Medicaid cuts in the Governor’s
proposed budget next year and will need to be prepared for a big budget fight.
Complicating the political landscape is the recent unification of the State Senate
Democrats. For the past several years, the break-away Independent Democratic
Conference (IDC) has worked with the Senate Republicans to share power in the Senate.
Just recently the IDC leader and the Senate Democratic leader agreed to a plan that
would unify the democrats to take control of the Senate. The plan is partly dependent
on the success of the democrats in upcoming special elections and would not take effect
until after the April budget deadline.
We expect to see significant Medicaid cuts in
the governor’s proposed budget next year and
will need to be prepared for a big budget fight.
A democratic Senate could have a big impact on the success
or defeat of nurse staffing ratios legislation. While the bill
passed in the Assembly last year it stalled in the Senate. A
democratic majority may have the votes to move the bill to
the floor and pass it.
Leading Age NY Priorities
There are many priority bills that we will be pushing in the
upcoming legislative session. All are aimed at trying to meet a growing demand of an
aging baby boomer population, delaying or eliminating the need for seniors to go on
Medicaid or unnecessarily move to a higher level of care, as well as initiatives that would
make providing long term care more efficient.
(See 2018 Sneak Peek on page 17)
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Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Fall 2017