| | | | |  | | By Maya Kaufman and Nick Reisman | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Irie Sentner
| | Happening now:
- A Medicaid proposal faces pushback.
- A new effort to helping state parks.
- Mayor Eric Adams had a contentious radio interview.
- What next for teacher evaluations.
|  Lawmakers such as Senate Health Committee Chair Gustavo Rivera are staunchly opposed to any move that would transfer full authority to a single entity to handle all administrative tasks for Medicaid’s consumer-directed personal assistance program. | Brittainy Newman/AP Photo | MEDICAID FIGHT: A Medicaid savings proposal floated during budget negotiations this week has the home care industry up in arms. The suggestion has to do with Medicaid’s increasingly popular consumer-directed personal assistance program, or CDPAP, which enables chronically ill or physically disabled New Yorkers to hire their own caregivers to help them with basic daily tasks at home. There are currently at least 600 companies — most of them run by licensed home care agencies — that handle payroll, billing and other administrative tasks for CDPAP recipients and their caregivers, per state estimates. Staff-level officials in the Assembly have proposed enlisting a single company to handle that work for the entire program, according to three people briefed on the negotiations, who were granted anonymity to discuss the preliminary internal deliberations. The idea is that a company with an existing Health Department contract — such as Maximus, Inc., which handles Medicaid eligibility checks for New York — would take the reins, so the state could start racking up savings as quickly as possible. But lawmakers, who are getting bombarded with messages by home care executives and lobbyists about the new idea, are staunchly opposed to any move that would transfer full administrative authority to a single entity like Maximus. “Such a proposal would be a ridiculous non-starter and not something that I would entertain,” Senate Health Committee chair Gustavo Rivera, a Bronx Democrat, said. The state has tried several times over the last few years to whittle down the number of companies but has yet to succeed, thanks in part to lawmakers’ and the industry’s fierce resistance. Jon Wegman, CEO of CDPAP agency Angels in Your Home and chair of New York Advocates for Home Care, said this latest proposal would “certainly” prompt legal action. “I can’t see how the state could make such a drastic move in good conscience,” he said. The home care industry is particularly incensed that the suggestion came from Assembly staff given that Assembly members rejected Hochul’s proposed CDPAP cuts in its one-house budget. It’s unclear how much the potential CDPAP consolidation would save, but Gov. Kathy Hochul has made it clear she wants to see at least $300 million worth of CDPAP spending reductions and another $100 million cut to Medicaid long-term care expenses in general in the upcoming fiscal year. Services for CDPAP’s roughly 247,000 enrollees are costing Medicaid over $9 billion — with the tab split equally by the state and the federal government — up from $6 billion in 2021, when the program had about 205,000 participants, according to the Division of the Budget. — Maya Kaufman and Nick Reisman
| | | | A message from New York State Nurses Association: Tell Albany: Invest in New York Healthcare! More nurses means better care, but New York’s broken healthcare system has created a staffing crisis in hospitals and nursing homes. Tell Albany to listen to the nurses and prioritize: Holding hospitals accountable for safe staffing. Fixing the nurse staffing crisis through education, loan forgiveness, recruitment, and retention programs. Protecting quality care by protecting New York’s nursing practice standards. Fairly funding underserved communities and prohibiting hospital closures of maternity and other essential healthcare services. Visit: www.nysna.org/more-nurses | | | |  | From the Capitol | | |  Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a partnership with many state agencies to help bolster the state’s parks, historic sites and public land. | Mary Altaffer/AP | NEW YORK’S PARKS: Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a partnership with various state agencies to celebrate stewardship days to help bolster the state’s parks, historic sites and public land. “With a record number of New Yorkers and visitors taking advantage of the world class outdoor recreation opportunities our state has to offer, we have a responsibility to preserve the unparalleled beauty of New York’s outdoor spaces,” Governor Hochul said in a statement. The first event is a Canal Clean Sweep from April 19-21, followed up an “I Love my Park” day on May 4, Adirondack and Catskill park day on Sept. 7, and fish and wildlife day for the final event on Sept. 28. The project’s goal is to help protect the state’s natural resources by equipping residents with the knowledge to reduce their environmental impact. Registration is open for the first event. — Shawn Ness
| | FROM CITY HALL | | | | 
Mayor Eric Adams’ interview with the "Breakfast Club" turned fiery this morning | Peter K. Afriyie/AP | RISE AND SHINE: The mayor stopped by the "Breakfast Club" this morning for what turned out to be a contentious interview that touched on everything from subway crime and migrants to the far left. The radio show, which boasts a large listenership of Black voters key to Eric Adams’ electoral coalition, started off discussing congestion pricing before public defender and left-leaning political commentator Olayemi Olurin challenged the mayor on subway safety. “I think it's your own rhetoric about the subways that has a lot to do with why people feel scared,” she said, noting the mayor recently unveiled new weapons scanners that will be rolled out in select stations. Adams forcefully pushed back on her assertions, with a crescendo between the two coming later when Olurin accused the mayor of highlighting the killing of an NYPD officer, which she called a rare occurrence, while not similarly emphasizing the greater numbers of New Yorkers killed by the police. “I’m not going to dismiss the loss of a life of an innocent person who wears a uniform to protect us,” Adams said amid a testy back-and-forth exchange with Olurin. — Joe Anuta GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT: After getting baptized by fire in that interview, Adams got baptized by water, in the Christian sense, on Rikers Island this morning. Rev. Al Sharpton and Adams’ original political mentor Rev. Herbert Daughtry “rebaptized” Adams in a ceremony, along with 11 detainees, “in a sign that one can be redeemed for any past mistakes,” according to a press release from Shaprton’s team. Adams is outspoken about his belief in God and his Christian faith, even while dabbling in many religions and spiritual practices. It was also a sign of Adams and Sharpton’s close — but sometimes complicated — relationship, with Sharpton acting as an ally, even if he sometimes criticizes the mayor. — Jeff Coltin
| | | | A message from New York State Nurses Association:   | | | | | On the Beats | | |  Senate Education Committee Chair Shelley Mayer said she is reviewing a proposal that rolls back several requirements in the teacher's evaluation system, creating more flexibility for districts in how they choose to evaluate their teachers. | Hans Pennink/AP Photo | TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEM PROPOSAL: Last week, the state Education Department and New York State United Teachers announced a deal on a much-anticipated revamp of the teacher’s evaluation system, but the future of the legislation will have to wait until after a budget deal is struck. Senate Education Committee Chair Shelley Mayer said she is in the process of reviewing the 50-page proposal that rolls back several requirements in the evaluation system, creating more flexibility for districts in how they choose to evaluate their teachers. “If you can come up with a way to improve teacher evaluation, that is a mutually agreed upon process, God bless you, and that should be the basis for moving forward,” Mayer said in an interview. She noted that while she is pleased by consensus of advocates and education officials signing off on the proposal, she is reviewing it internally. The issue however is currently on the back-burner as Mayer is in the midst of fighting to restore changes proposed by the governor to the foundation aid formula. “I want to make sure that from the Legislative point of view, our colleagues are on board with the agreed upon concepts, so we’re working through that,” Mayer added. She noted that it’s too early to discuss components of the bill that may draw concerns for lawmakers. Once the budget is passed she will then work on introducing the legislation. — Katelyn Cordero ABORTION CARE: Attorney General Tish James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta are co-leading a multistate coalition to protect emergency abortion care access. The two filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court urging it to maintain a preliminary injunction which would require hospitals in Idaho to provide emergency care access that is consistent with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. “When these basic rights are under attack, my office will step in to fight against anti-choice decisions that endanger the lives of countless Americans. Abortion access and health care availability are about saving lives. The ban advanced by Idaho interferes with emergency medical care delivered to patients in need, and sets a chilling precedent nationwide,” James said in a statement. In the brief, the coalition wrote that denying abortion care is harmful to pregnant patients and puts their lives at risk, as well as putting a larger burden on other states to make up for the lack of care. James has been a long time supporter of abortion rights — and had an abortion herself over two decades ago. In January, she urged the Supreme Court to protect access to mifepristone. In December, she got a court order to stop an anti-abortion group from blocking abortion access in New York. — Shawn Ness
| | | | A message from New York State Nurses Association: Tell Albany: Invest in New York Healthcare!
When it comes to patient safety, Albany should listen to nurses – the heroes who got us through the COVID-19 pandemic.
More nurses at the bedside means better care. But New York’s broken healthcare system has created a staffing crisis. From emergency rooms to critical care units, many hospitals are failing to staff enough nurses to provide quality care. Despite a safe-staffing law meant to protect New York patients, some hospitals are understaffing their units over 90% of the time. New York patients deserve better.
Tell Albany to invest in New York healthcare and:
- Hold hospitals accountable for safe staffing.
- Fix the nurse staffing crisis through education, loan forgiveness, recruitment, and retention programs.
- Protect quality care by safeguarding New York’s nursing practice standards.
- Fairly fund underserved communities and prohibit hospital closures of maternity and other essential healthcare services.
Visit: www.nysna.org/more-nurses | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — An assistant to Attorney General Tish James is facing a misdemeanor charge in Albany City Court. (Times Union) — Adams signed off on allowing several companies to deploy autonomous vehicles in New York City, but is requiring a human driver to be in the car. (New York Post) — State Democrats are pushing restrictions on how social media companies use algorithms to serve content to children, and they’re being fought by a high-stakes lobbying effort. (The New York Times) — Hochul left the wake for a slain NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller after a tense exchange outside (New York Post) | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
