Homecare Consumers Plead for Access to Personal Care Aides as Gov. Hochul’s Budget calls for Cuts To Homecare Services For Chronically Ill Seniors, Children & People with Disabilities
April 11, 2024
Contact: April.Ezzell@1199.org, 1199SEIU Communications (716) 449-1620
Visual & Interview Opportunity
Governor’s Budget Cuts Would Deepen NY's Homecare Worker Shortage and Force Disabled Children & Seniors Out of their Homes and into Institutions— just as Insurance Companies Continue To Earn Millions in Profits
WHO: Home care consumers, WNY Independent Living Center leaders, Fiscal Intermediaries, Homecare Workers, Advocates, Elected Officials
WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: Thursday, April 11 from 11:00 AM - 11:20 AM
WHERE: WNY Independent Living Center at 3108 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14214 (parking behind building through Jim’s Steakhouse parking lot)
WHY: New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) allows aging adults and children with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to live independently and with dignity in their own homes, with the support of a caregiver of their choice, including a trusted family member.
But Governor Hochul’s proposed state budget includes $600 million dollars in cuts to the program and limits the number of hours of care that consumers can receive. These cuts would make in-home care impossible for many homecare recipients who need round-the- clock care, forcing them out of their homes and into institutionalized settings like nursing homes.
Advocates say there is a better way to save money and ensure that taxpayer dollars are well spent: New York must eliminate wasteful administrative spending and out-of-state profits from the insurance companies who have taken advantage of New York's Managed Long-Term Care program. The vast majority of New Yorkers agree: in a recent poll, 79% of New Yorkers prefer a plan to reduce insurance company administrative costs and millions in profits over cutting wages and hours to low wage personal care workers. Enacting the reforms in the Homecare Savings and Reinvestment Act (S7800, Rivera/ A8470, Paulin) is a first step to improving the quality of home care and investing in the workers that provide that care. The bill will move the New York state from managed long term care plans back to a fee-for-service model.
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1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. We represent over 400,000 nurses and caregivers throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.
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