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Cuomo, NY Democrats offer counter proposal to Medicaid amendment

Matt Churchill
/
Flickr

New York’s Democratic congressional delegation is pushing a measure to prevent federal Medicaid funding cuts to the state.

Several Democratic representatives, along with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, want the state to take over the cost of counties’ Medicaid bills, but want the federal government to provide the $2.3 billion to pay for it.

“This is about fundamental fairness,” said Cuomo, who said the state gives more money in tax dollars to Washington than it gets back in services.

The measure is a counter proposal to one advocated by New York Rep. Chris Collins (R-Clarence) and Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) as part of the failed effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The GOP plan would also free counties from having to pay for Medicaid, but would have required the state to shoulder all of the costs of the shift.

The provision would need the backing of the GOP-led Congress in order to become law. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-Bronx) concedes that passage “is not going to be easy.”

Karen DeWitt is Capitol Bureau Chief for New York State Public Radio, a network of 10 public radio stations in New York State. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.