CORTLAND -- A battle between an arm of the NYS Health Department and county governments threatens to deprive counties of revenue, but at the same time lower state Medicaid costs. The taxpayers appear to be caught in the middle.
The Public Health Planning Council, an arm of the state health department, this afternoon approved an "emergency regulatory reform" that could cost counties millions of dollars and eventually affect property taxes.
Many smaller counties are getting out of the business of providing home health care to needy residents and are contracting with private companies to take over the service. These counties, 18 of them so far in NYS, are negotiating selling "certificates of need" to allow these companies to take over. Cortland County stood to make $1.2 million and Tompkins County could have pocketed $850,000, for example.
But the Public Health Planning Council will allow these companies to move in without a certificate of need from counties, so the taxpayers are denied this revenue. A spokesman for the New York State Association of Counties says it's one of those "complicated things that fly under the radar but impact property taxes." NYSAC figures collectively 18 counties will lose $10 million in revenue.
A spokesman for the New York State Health Department says today's action will lift a 20 year moratorium that has stymied the creation of new home health care agencies.
The spokesman says lifting the moratorium will increase competition, allow the elderly and disabled to stay in their homes and lower the overall the cost of home health care through Medicaid payments.
