Category: Americas

Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

JUST LAST WEEK Congressional Republicans Voted To Advance The Biggest Medicaid Cut In History — $880 BILLION — Which Could Force Nursing Homes Across Upstate NY To Close Or Lay Off Staff, As Well As Hospitals, Health Centers, Addiction Treatment Centers, Kicking Patients To The Curb

Lancaster’s Greenfield Health & Rehab Center Is 50% Funded By Medicaid, Paying For Seniors’ Care; GOP’s Dangerous Medicaid Cuts Would Impact 370,000+ WNYers, Forcing Families To Pick Up The Whole Bill To Keep Loved Ones In Facilities

Schumer: We Are In A Fight Of A Lifetime To Protect WNY Seniors & Their Families From Looming GOP Medicaid Cuts

Just a week after Congressional Republicans voted to advance the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer stood with Western NY seniors and nurses at GreenField Health & Rehabilitation Center to call on Congressional Republicans to block Trump’s plan to decimate Medicaid. The Republican plan to cut $880 billion from Medicaid would hurt more than 370,000 Western New Yorkers and millions more across the nation, forcing families to choose between taking their loved ones out of their homes and covering all the costs to keep them in facilities.

“Last week, House Republicans voted to advance the biggest Medicaid cut in history, putting places like GreenField that care for our seniors in danger. Buffalo’s nursing homes, addiction treatment centers, hospitals and more all depend on Medicaid to provide care. If these cuts go through, it would risk care for over 370,000 in Western NY,” said Senator Schumer. “This proposal to decimate Medicaid is not just heartless, it would mean Western NY’s seniors can’t get the care they need and might face the prospect of being kicked out of homes like this. It would be a gut punch to our hospitals like Erie County Medical Center, jeopardize funding to addiction treatment centers worsening the opioid crisis here in Western NY. We are in the fight of a lifetime to block the Republican plan to gut Medicaid by $880 BILLION. That’s why I’m demanding Congressional Republicans stand up and protect Western NY’s seniors and their families from this awful choice.”

Schumer said Western New York’s seniors and their families will face the worst when Republicans cut Medicaid. Over 370,000 people in Western New York have Medicaid for their insurance, and many of them are seniors who could be discharged from local nursing homes, rehab facilities, and assisted living care if Congressional Republicans Medicaid. Schumer explained that once Medicaid is forced to stop paying for senior care in these facilities, and once the facilities exhaust every possible way to keep seniors in place, many families could face a grueling dilemma: pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket to keep ‘mom’ or ‘dad’ in care, or move them back home.

In Western New York’s 23^rd congressional district, Medicaid is a lifeline, covering nearly 70% of nursing home residents, 38% of children, close to half of all births, and nearly one-third of ER visits, outpatient surgeries, and clinic care. At Lancaster’s GreenField Health and Rehabilitation Center –50% of funding comes from Medicaid to ensure seniors can live there with dignity – the proposed cuts would deal a serious financial blow, not only to GreenField, but also to its parent organization, Lineage, which operates multiple senior care and health services across the region. Erie County Medical Center relies on over $800 million in revenue from Medicaid every year, which is 48% of the funding for Western NY’s premier Level 1 trauma center. For Catholic Health, Medicaid covers over $200 million in healthcare for patients across its four nursing homes and six hospital campuses.  It would also risk some of the region’s most critical medical services, like addiction treatment which heavily relies on Medicaid, and experts say would be among the hardest hit under the GOP cuts worsening the opioid crisis.

The Congressional Republican proposal to cut $880 billion from Medicaid would mean that the costs of care shifts to states, which would result in slashed services, benefits, eligibility, and reimbursement rates. These agonizing decisions would happen at the state and local level, with county executives and state legislators forced to decide where to make up for the huge budget hole caused by Republicans slashing federal funding for Medicaid. Counties could even be forced to shoulder the burden of increased costs in Medicaid, using more local dollars to provide coverage because less federal funding will be coming in. This means legislators and county executives will have to decide who loses their Medicaid, what services will no longer be covered, or how much doctors will be paid. The senator said while some Congressional Republicans claim that this plan won’t cut Medicaid, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found the GOP plan could not be reached without reducing the funding that goes to Medicaid. There is no way to protect Medicaid benefits if Republicans move ahead with these cuts.

Schumer added, “Trump wants these cuts for one reason: to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. It’s not looking out for your parents or grandparents. They have tried to hide their Medicaid cuts, use smoke and mirrors and claim this isn’t a cut, but the math shows this would hurt our seniors and families Medicaid, and places like Western NY the most.”

“New York State Nursing homes face a Medicaid deficit in funding of over $100 per day per resident. Nearly 70,000 nursing home beds in New York are at risk for closing under this growing funding deficit. Without proper reimbursement, the post acute system will crumble, and residents of our community not be able to get the care they need. Further cuts to the Medicaid system will put the entire health care system at risk. We need others at the Federal level to follow Senator Schumer’s lead in making sure these cuts are stopped,” said Dr. Christopher Koenig, President of Lineage Care Group.

“This idea to cut Medicaid is a shame. It shows we don’t value our elders. We don’t value our caregivers. If we did, we wouldn’t be talking about cutting this massively important funding—we’d be fighting to strengthen it. Cutting long term care Medicaid is a moral failure, not just a policy debate. I thank Senator Schumer for being here today and going to bat for healthcare workers and seniors all across Western New York and New York State,” said Sheri Scavone, Board Member of Niagara Lutheran and family member of affected patient.

“Medicaid is an essential part of the healthcare of millions of Americans and thousands of Erie County residents in nursing homes, rehab facilities and elsewhere, helping them to live dignified and meaningful lives. Under this cruel and heartless GOP plan, our loved ones who rely on Medicaid will be sacrificed, healthcare workers could lose their jobs, and healthcare facilities could close all so that billionaires can get more tax breaks,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “All Americans should be gravely concerned about this brazen theft, the biggest Medicaid cut in history, and all should stand and speak against it. An administration that robs from the poor to give to the rich, aided and abetted by a craven GOP majority that has abandoned American principles, is actively working to hurt Americans and we cannot just stand by and let it happen.”

Schumer detailed the scope of Medicaid enrollment throughout the country and warned that Medicaid serves as a lifeline for millions of seniors. More than 7 million New Yorkers are enrolled in Medicaid, and it is the primary payer for long-term care in the United States, including at nursing homes and for people living at home. Medicaid pays for services for 2 in 3 nursing home residents. Additionally, close to 4.5 million people across the country rely on Medicaid for home- and community-based services. Families will have nowhere else to turn if Medicaid is cut, and millions of people will be left trying to figure out how to access the care and services they rely on everyday.

Major reductions in Medicaid spending will have serious consequences for seniors and people with disabilities. Nearly 1 in 4 Medicaid enrollees are eligible for the program because they are ages 65 and older or have a disability. Proposals to limit federal spending on Medicaid will force states to consider dropping or limiting eligibility or coverage for seniors and people with disabilities to make up for a huge budget hole with fewer federal dollars coming to New York. Loss of Medicaid coverage poses unique challenges for seniors and people with disabilities, people who are likely to live on fixed incomes, have high health care spending, and rely on Medicaid for help with everyday life and for coverage of long-term care.