ALBANY, N.Y. (WRGB) — At the Capitol Monday, hundreds of home care workers filled the Senate lobby calling for passage of the Home Care Savings and Reinvestment Act.
Advocates say the legislation would prevent Medicaid dollars from being funneled to forprofit insurance companies and instead redirect funding to home care services. Senator Gustavo Rivera said the industry faces major staffing shortages if changes are not made.
“It has not saved the state money. It has not improved the health of New Yorkers,” Rivera said. “What it has done is it’s made some managed health care companies very, very wealthy. And so that is the problem here. We have a system that is currently set up that makes sure that the middlemen are the ones that are taking some of the resources that should be going to where? To the pockets of home care workers.”
Advocates say removing the middleman would save the state $3 billion each year, sending more funding directly to those in need.
Over the weekend, Congressman Pat Ryan addressed the affordability crisis during a town hall in Glens Falls, appearing alongside Congresswoman Alexandria OcasioCortez.
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Ryan called for a redirection of federal funding currently allocated to immigration enforcement and tariffs, saying those resources should instead be reinvested in struggling communities.