NEW YORK--New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and three council members are calling on the federal government to approve a $10 billion Medicaid waiver.
New York State filed the request for a waiver almost one year ago, on Aug. 6, 2012, asking that the federal government allow the state to reinvest, over a five-year period, up to $10 billion of the $17.1 billion in federal savings generated by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Medicaid Redesign Team reforms.
In an Aug. 1 letter to the Secretary and the Deputy Administrator and Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Quinn and council members Albert Vann, Stephen Levin, and Brad Lander said the situation was a crisis in Brooklyn, where at least two hospitals are on the brink of closing.
The letter said New York City’s hospital system needs more money to provide the high quality care that patients need.
“The $10 billion Waiver would not only allow the state to invest in innovative models of healthcare delivery, but it would also allow our hospitals to continue providing the care that saves the lives of our residents,” the letter stated.
The application includes billions of dollars specifically dedicated to supporting struggling hospitals, including Brooklyn’s Interfaith and Long Island College Hospitals.
