A financial bomb that local officials said will lead to property tax increases was dropped on Suffolk as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget stops federal Medicaid funding from being passed down to New York counties.
“The state has gone ahead and taken another whack at us,” said Suffolk Comptroller John Kennedy. “They adopted a bloated budget to begin with, and yet again this is just another iteration of unfunded mandates.”
A program controlled by the U.S. government to provide health care for the needy, Medicaid is funded by contributions from the salaries of workers. The program is administered by the counties which receive federal funding passed down through the state. Suffolk is projected to lose more than $28 million the upcoming year and $40 million the next under the budget deal agreed to by Hochul and her Democrat colleagues who control the legislature.
“They are literally sweeping the money away,” said Senator Dean Murray, who joined every Long Island Republican legislator in opposing the move. “This is going to cost the counties hundreds of millions of dollars and force them to raise property taxes.”
According to Murray, “For years, the counties were basically begging for the state to increase the reimbursement rates, and at one time, Gov. Cuomo said, ‘I don't think the county should be paying for it at all.’ This was music to our ears. But now they’ve gone in the complete opposite direction and the state has said no, we're taking all of that money and the counties can pay for everything.”
Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano agreed: “We fought hard against this, but in the end, Gov. Hochul and the Democrats socked it to the suburbs. The money rightfully belongs to the counties and it’s a sin to have the state glom on to it to finance Hochul’s bloated budget.”
“This is quite a slap in the face by the state,” commented Brookhaven Supervisor Edward Romaine. “The governor should be ashamed to cut this aid to the poorest people who are on Medicaid and try to make the county pick up the difference. I'm tired of Suffolk County being short changed,” said Romaine, a candidate for county executive. “I’m going to be the loudest voice on Long Island yelling for us to get our fair share from the state.”
“How do you make up the shortfall? How do you replace tens of millions of dollars that you thought were coming your way?“ Senator Murray asked. “The counties were counting on the money and the governor is now going to keep it. You had Hochul the governor and the Democrat leaders patting themselves on the back, claiming that they've made New York more affordable when they've done the opposite.”
 |
| Governor Kathy Hochul |