Legislative Bulletin: 2024-25 Executive Budget Proposal Includes Proposed Cuts to LTC

January 19, 2024

Governor Unveils SFY 2024-25 Executive Budget Proposal: Includes Proposed Cuts to LTC

On Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul presented her State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024-2025 Executive Budget Proposal, released the Budget Briefing Book, and published corresponding budget bills. The proposed $232.7 billion (B) all-funds budget for SFY 2024-25 represents a $1B (.5%) all-funds spending increase and an increase of $5.9B (4.5%) in state operating fund spending.

Unfortunately, the Executive Budget not only fails to make critically needed investments in the long-term care sector, but also imposes cuts and Medicaid savings targets. The budget proposes to save $200 million (M) (state share) in Medicaid spending on long-term care services, in addition to $200 M (state share) in savings on services other than community-based long-term care. Each of these savings would be achieved through unspecified measures identified by working with stakeholders.

LeadingAge New York issued an initial message to members on Tuesday, reviewing what was revealed during the Governor and Division of Budget presentations. However, budget bills had not yet been printed. As a result, we issued an addendum to our initial budget review on Wednesday to inform members of additional details revealed by the budget legislation and related documents.

While we continue to conduct in-depth analysis of the Executive Budget bills, LeadingAge New York is working to prepare testimony for the Health & Medicaid Budget Hearing scheduled for Jan. 23^rd, as well as legislative meeting materials and other grassroots advocacy tools. Following the publication of health testimony and advocacy materials, we will also issue a comprehensive Executive Budget summary as we have done in years past.

It is dire for members to understand that the Executive Budget not only fails to make critical investments in our sector, but also imposes cuts and Medicaid saving targets. We strongly encourage members to join us in Albany for our 2024 Advocacy Day on January 30th to let lawmakers know how harmful these proposals are.

Your voice and involvement in budget advocacy this year will be absolutely critical!

ACTION ALERT: Nursing Home Rebasing Bill Added to Senate Health Agenda

As long-term care providers and advocates are disappointed this week by the lack of investment proposed by the Executive, the Legislature appears to be stepping up to support the sector and the people we serve.

It was announced yesterday that LeadingAge NY priority legislation on nursing home rebasing [A.5905-A (Woerner)/S.6914 (Rivera)] is on the Senate Health Committee agenda for Monday, Jan. 22^nd. The bill would require New York State’s Department of Health (DOH) to update nursing home Medicaid rates at least every five years, in consultation with a workgroup that includes technical experts in nursing home rate setting. In the Assembly, the bill is in the Ways and Means Committee after having advanced through several committees in 2023.

LeadingAge New York strongly encourages nursing home members to contact your State Legislators TODAY in support of nursing home rebasing! CLICK HERE to send a digital advocacy letter in support of A.5905-A/S.6914!!

Last Chance to Register for 2024 Advocacy Day!

Over the course of the next ten weeks, legislators will be hearing from stakeholders and constituents on every issue under the sun – education, health care, criminal justice, transportation, consumer protections, etc. It is paramount that we keep long-term care and aging services top-of-mind for legislators as they begin to determine the top priorities they want to address in one-house budget proposals.

LeadingAge NY is hosting our 2024 Advocacy Day in Albany on Jan. 30^th, and the deadline to register is Tues. Jan. 23^rd. Advocacy Days are an excellent way to ensure that we have a strong start to the grassroots advocacy effort that will carry us through February and March. If you would like to join us in Albany for our 2024 Advocacy Day on Jan.30^th, PLEASE REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Three easy steps to participate in budget advocacy:

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for LeadingAge NY's 2024 Advocacy Day!
Once you are registered for our coordinated budget advocacy efforts, CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR AND ASSEMBLY MEMBER's Albany offices to request an in-person meeting on Tues., Jan. 30^th. To make this as easy as possible, LeadingAge NY has created this Legislative Scheduling Guide to assist you in scheduling your meetings.
Once your meetings are scheduled, please send your meeting details to Sarah Daly at sdaly@leadingageny.org. This is critical to enhancing our organization, collaboration, and overall advocacy impact.

During our Advocacy Day, LeadingAge NY will:

Provide breakfast & lunch;
be available to join you for your legislative meetings;
provide legislative materials and “handouts” for legislators;
assist in any necessary follow-up from meetings;
provide a meeting room, directions, parking information, logistical support and more!

More information on our 2024 Advocacy Day can be found here. Please reach out to Sarah Daly (sdaly@leadingageny.org) with any questions.

Advocacy Day Prep Call Scheduled for Jan. 26^th

To ensure that members are familiar with what is in the SFY 2024-25 Executive Budget Proposal and all details of our 2024 Advocacy Day, LeadingAge NY will be hosting a Budget and Advocacy Day Prep Call on Fri., Jan. 26^th at 11 a.m. However, you need to register and join us for Advocacy Day in order to receive a direct Zoom meeting invitation for the Prep Call. If you already registered for advocacy day, you should have received a direct Zoom Meeting invitation to this webinar event. If you did not receive the direct Zoom Meeting invitation but plan to join us in Albany on Jan. 30^th, please take a moment to register for advocacy day here.

During the member-focused prep call, LeadingAge NY policy staff will review the Executive Budget Proposal’s potential impact on members, related legislative handouts, and answer any questions members may have. DRAFT legislative handouts will be shared with members in advance of the prep call so that you can follow along with our discussion and feel well-prepared.

For those not able to join us on Advocacy Day, the Prep Call will be recorded and shared with full membership following the event to ensure that all members, regardless of advocacy day participation, will be apprised of our latest unified advocacy message.

Remember, LeadingAge NY is here to support you in your advocacy every step of the way. Whether you are coming to Advocacy Day or not, please reach out to Sarah Daly at sdaly@leadingageny.org to learn about things you can do to help amplify our unified message and drive more attention to the needs of long-term care providers and the people we serve.

ACTION ALERT: Amplify LeadingAge NY Social Media Messages!

Given the current budget proposal, it is clear that we need to make much more noise if we want the Final Budget to include critical investments and reform of the nursing home Medicaid methodology! LeadingAge New York has created a nursing home funding/workforce video to highlight the dynamics at play statewide, and the challenges being felt by all of our nursing home members. Now, it is critical that our members help us get this video out to the general public as much as possible!

Please Take a Moment to ‘Like’ & ‘Share’ The Below Social Media Messages to Make Some Noise!!! It only takes a few clicks and will put meaningful public pressure on state legislators.

PLEASE LIKE AND SHARE THESE MESSAGES NOW!!!

LeadingAge NY Facebook Post
LeadingAge NY Twitter Post
LeadingAge NY LinkedIn Post

ADD ADDITIONAL IMPACT: When you share the Facebook post, click “Share to Feed” and add your own text tagging your local legislators!

Identify your local legislators Facebook name (EX: @ Senator Michelle Hinchey)
1. Find your legislators here, and then google their name and “facebook page”, to confirm their professional facebook.
On the Facebook post, click “Share to Feed”
In the text box of the ‘Share’ post, tag your local legislators Facebook pages with the @ sign and write “New York’s non-profit/public nursing homes urge you to provide adequate Medicaid funding in the 2024-25 New York State Budget! Our residents deserve funding that matches the cost of care!”

Thank you for your advocacy at this critical time!

LeadingAge NY Members in the News

On Wednesday of this week, following the release of the Executive Budget Proposal, LeadingAge NY members and Assembly leaders congregated in the halls of the NY State Capitol for a press conference urging for better support and funding for New York’s nursing homes. The press conference was in response to proposed Medicaid budget cuts, and to stress the need to increase the state's Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing homes.

As was reported by Spectrum News, many stood with lawmakers Wednesday, frustrated over the Medicaid changes in Hochul's budget which they say fail long-term care and New York's growing aging population.

"The upstate issue is where we are truly feeling it again with the hundreds of beds that are empty in our nursing homes," Assemblywoman Pat Fahy said. "We are in a crisis."

"Communities will not have their local not for profit nursing homes anymore — they simply won't," said Andrew Cruikshank, CEO of Fort Hudson Health System Inc.

Assembly Health Committee chair Amy Paulin said Wednesday she does not understand some of the Medicaid changes proposed in the governor's budget. She wants more specifics on why, and how, the Governor's plan includes cuts to nursing homes, health and home care wages. Paulin, a Democrat from Scarsdale, hopes for more clarity in the 30-day budget amendments, and is looking to Tuesday's health budget hearing to best direct the Legislature as budget negotiations begin.

Contact: Sarah Daly; 518.867.8845; sdaly@leadingageny.org