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Legislative Bulletin: State and Federal Fight for Medicaid Funding Continues

February 28, 2025

House of Representatives Passes Budget Resolution: Advocate NOW to Protect Medicaid!

This week, the House of Representatives passed their Federal Budget Resolution which calls for $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in spending reductions over a decade and $4 trillion to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. The vote was 217 – 215. The House vote moves Congress a step closer toward budget reconciliation, through which specific decisions to increase and decrease federal spending will be made, after both chambers agree on a single budget resolution.

The Federal budget reconciliation process presents tremendous threats and opportunities for older adults and the providers who serve them. With Congressional spending reduction goals being what they are, Medicaid is under significant threat. Many of the cuts and changes to the Medicaid program under consideration would significantly reduce New York’s health and Medicaid budget. However, there are also some areas of potential relief related to Federal staffing rules.

In anticipation of the reconciliation process, LeadingAge National sent letters to three committees urging them to do right by older adults on key issues regarding Medicaid, tax exempt municipal bonds, issues impacting nonprofits, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) minimum staffing rule, and Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Members may read the letters here and keep up with the process via LeadingAge National’s Budget Reconciliation 2025 serial post.

In addition, LeadingAge New York and National have been partnering in meetings with key congressional targets and will continue to do so.

Here's what you can do!

While the Federal government is interested in reducing spending, Medicaid cuts must not, and cannot, be part of the Federal spending plan!

All LeadingAge members are strongly encouraged to contact Congressional offices to advocate against cuts/changes to Medicaid! They need to know how important Medicaid is to your organization and the people you serve; please urge them to oppose any cuts or changes to the program.

If your Congress Member voted “yes” on the house budget resolution, we encourage you to reach out to them and express your disappointment in their vote, and urge them to do right by older adults in the next phase of the Federal budget process. Any cuts or changes will negatively impact their constituents and you as a provider of critical services.

Please keep in mind, that the cuts we are referencing in this article are being discussed at the Federal level. While they would impact State dollars, these are not cuts that are being proposed by State officials. In fact, the State itself would be against many of the changes being discussed Federally.  

Talking Points: LeadingAge National has created two sets of talking points for members to use in talking to Members of Congress about the potential cuts to Medicaid in the reconciliation process.

  • One set of talking points outlines the types of proposals being considered and provides general talking points on why they are harmful.
  • The second set focuses more on aging services providers as well as the impacts on states.

Digital Advocacy Tools: There are several different letters that members can send to their Members of Congress with just a few clicks. Click here to write to your members of Congress TODAY!

Finally, please Join us in D.C. for LeadingAge National Lobby Effort! LeadingAge NY members are strongly encouraged to join us in Washington D.C. from April 7 – 9  for LeadingAge National’s 2025 Leadership Summit and Lobby Day! The Summit convenes thought leaders from across the aging services sector for mission-critical conversations. The event provides valuable networking and educational opportunities, but most importantly, the final day of the summit (April 9) will offer attendees the chance to join a coordinated lobbying effort on Capitol Hill. During the National Lobby Day, LeadingAge members will meet face-to-face with members of Congress to advocate against potential cuts to Medicaid and stress the need for enhanced federal funding and policies supporting long-term care and aging services for older adults. Click here to register for the Leadership Summit and/or Lobby Day!

 

ACTION ALERT: Several Priority Bills Added to Next Week’s Senate Health Agenda

The Senate Health Committee will be convening next week on Tues., March 4 at 12 p.m. Fortunately, two bills that LeadingAge NY strongly supports are on the agenda, however, there are also a few bills which we have concerns about that are attempting to advance.

Below is a simple list of the priority bills that are on the Senate Health agenda for next week. We strongly encourage members to take the corresponding actions in the list below, and if you have the time, please call your state senator to share your opinions on these bills, particularly if they sit on the Senate Health Committee!

We strongly recommend members contact state senators in support of the first two bills on this list, particularly if they sit on the Senate Health Committee (scroll to middle of page to see Senators who sit on the committee and access their contact information).

As it relates to the antipsychotic legislation, members may remember that LeadingAge New York was successful last year in working with bill sponsors to make the legislation far less burdensome to providers than previous versions. The bill now excludes ACFs and would require informed consent for certain medications only once a year, among other changes. We will continue to work with the Assembly and Senate bill sponsors to make them aware of the Federal regulatory landscape as it relates to the bill, however, if members have their own concerns around impacts of this bill on your organization, we encourage you to let us know and contact your legislators to express those concerns.

Please reach out to the policy team with any questions related to these pieces of legislation.

 

ACTION ALERT: Resident Assistants in Affordable Senior Housing Bill Added to Senate Housing Agenda

A piece of legislation that LeadingAge NY and our members strongly support, A.1948 (Rosenthal)/S.956 (Kavanagh), has been added to the Senate Housing Committee Agenda for Monday, March 3. The bill would create the framework for the Affordable Independent Senior Housing Assistance Program, directing the State to administer grants to allow more affordable senior housing properties to hire and maintain a “Resident Assistant” who can help residents connect with existing programs and resources that promote their health and independence.

With the bill moving in the Senate, it is a perfect time for members to contact their state legislators and members of the Senate Housing Committee to vocalize their support for Resident Assistants in Affordable Senior Housing!

Please take a moment to contact legislators and amplify our advocacy with your colleagues, residents and peers today!

  1. Send this digital advocacy letter, written from a property manager/general perspective. Members are encouraged to customize this letter with any details you would like. You can do so by simply editing the content available in the text box.
  2. Call Senate Housing Committee members (scroll to near bottom of page to see Senators who sit on the committee and access contact information). Call Senators to express your support of S.956 (Kavanagh) and how it would serve the older adults in your buildings and in your region of the state.
    • Members can use talking points from our housing budget brief to explain why you support the affordable senior housing resident assistance bill and our budget proposal that accompanies it.
  3. Amplify our message by including your residents in our digital letter-writing campaign. LeadingAge NY has created a digital letter-writing campaign written from the perspective of an affordable senior housing resident. Please share this digital letter with your residents to amplify our message:​​​​​​​ Resident Digital Advocacy Letter​​​​​​​
  4. Print and share advocacy flyers to increase our digital advocacy reach. Flyers can be printed and left in lobby areas or shared via email with residents and other advocates:

LeadingAge NY has engaged its advocacy partners in contacting members of the Senate Housing, Construction, and Community Development Committee directly to encourage them to advance the Resident Assistant bill on Monday and support an investment of $10M over five years to establish the program in this year’s State Budget.

Thank you for your advocacy!

 

In the Press: LeadingAge NY Members Urge State Policymakers to Match the Cost of Care!

On Tues. Feb. 25th, LeadingAge NY members, Assembly Members and State Senators came together in Albany to urge state policymakers to restore cuts to capital reimbursement and increase Medicaid reimbursement for New York’s nursing homes!

The news conference, led by Assemblywoman Woerner, urged the state to prioritize the needs and wellbeing of people who live and receive care in the state’s nursing homes. The event also emphasized that older adults and individuals living with complex medical conditions are members of our families. They are our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and children – and they deserve to be prioritized!

Both Assembly and Senate leadership were represented at the event, and participating legislators spanned the entirety of the state; with Senator Cleare speaking, Senator Rivera providing a quote, and Assemblymembers Woerner, Seawright, McMahon, Lunsford, Buttenschon, Sayegh and Kay all offering their words of support.

LeadingAge New York issued a press release featuring quotes from several state legislators and provider members. The event generated an article published in the Times Union and Spectrum News. LeadingAge New York will continue to amplify the photos and messages of the press conference via social media and other outlets.  

Thank you to all members who took the time to join us for this event! Let’s keep up the advocacy!

 

LeadingAge NY Members Testify at Joint-Legislative Budget Hearing on Housing

The Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Housing was held in Albany yesterday, and LeadingAge New York members seized the opportunity to advocate for the state budget’s inclusion of the Resident Assistants in Affordable Senior Housing Proposal. The LeadingAge NY priority budget proposal requests an investment of $10 million over 5 years ($2M/year) to provide grants to at least 16 affordable senior housing buildings to make an on-site Resident Assistant staff person available to 1,600 or more low-income older adults.

LeadingAge NY provider members, West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing (WSFSSH) and Selfhelp, each submitted both written and in-person testimony for the hearing. Each of those testimonies urged for the support of the Resident Assistant Program. LeadingAge NY also submitted comprehensive written testimony, emphasizing the need to fund Resident Assistants, as well as the need to evaluate the housing needs of low- and middle-income older adults.

LeadingAge NY’s written testimony is available here. A recording of the full hearing is here. A short clip of LeadingAge NY member testimony is available here.

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ACTION ALERT: Continue to Advocate for State Budget Priorities!

As legislators hear from stakeholders from across sectors about countless State budget requests, it is critical that we keep the funding needs of long-term care and aging services providers top-of-mind. LeadingAge New York has crafted the below service-line specific digital advocacy letters to help us keep the pressure on legislators for the remainder of 2025-26 budget discussions. 

Each letter takes only a minute or two to send. Simply enter your information to automatically send an email to the Governor, your State Senator and your Assembly Member! After you send your letters, we strongly encourage members to share these links with colleagues, board members and volunteers. This is a simple and easy way to strengthen our unified message to the Legislature at this critical time.

Please use the links below to send emails to your legislators and the Governor TODAY!

Share Flyers with Your Network of Advocates!

To help drive traffic to these digital letters and expand our network of advocates, LeadingAge NY has created flyers that can be printed or shared electronically with your workforce, families, and community members. Flyers are linked below for member usage:

Share Budget Issue Briefs & Call Legislators

Finally, we encourage members to continue to share our Budget Issue Briefs with legislative offices, and, if you haven’t already watched the recording of our Advocacy Day Prep Call, the messaging and focus of our advocacy reviewed on the call are still relevant. If you have the time, we encourage you to call your legislative offices next week to remind them of the budget requests that are most important to you!

Thank you for your budget advocacy and for staying engaged with us throughout this process!  

 

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

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