iHealth Urges the Governor to Repeal This Cut
New York, February 20, 2024 – 170,000 vulnerable and marginalized adults and children across New York State stand to lose access to care coordination warns iHealth, Inc. (iHealth), if a massive $125 million proposed cut to New York State’s Medicaid Health Home program in Governor Hochul’s State Executive Budget for the 2024-2025 financial year is approved. iHealth is appealing to the New York State Legislature to reject this proposed cut.
iHealth is a coalition of 21 community-based organizations providing specialized care management services across New York State for 35,500 children and 135,000 adults through the state’s Medicaid Health Homes program. The program, created in 2012, was designed to address the social determinants of health, such as food insecurity, housing instability, substance use disorder, mental illness, trauma, violence, illiteracy, and others. Health Home recipients are dealing with chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, substance use disorder, mental illnesses, and other behavioral health challenges.
The passing of Governor Hochul’s proposed budget cut by the Legislature would result in the Health Home program essentially ceasing to exist. The repercussions would be severe. Members of the Health Home program, many of whom are dually or triply diagnosed with illnesses and challenges and have no connection to any one provider, will lose access to their community[1]based care managers. These managers are experienced in navigating the complexities of the New York State health system and are vital in assisting recipients to obtain better manage their care. Over 1,500 community-based care managers also stand to lose their jobs.
“We urge the legislature to reject the Governor’s proposed multimillion-dollar budget cut to this program. There is solid data coming out of NYS Department of Health that shows that this program has been tremendously successful and greatly reduces emergency room usage and significantly increases access to healthcare. The state is relying on the Health Home program in its newly approved 1115 Medicaid waiver, yet the budget cut would decimate the program. It makes no sense,” says Matthew Lesieur, executive director of iHealth. “The implications of the proposed cut would be absolutely disastrous for the poor and destitute that depend on New York State’s Medicaid Health Home program. What will they do without access to the care they desperately need? Who will look after them?”
There are over 580 agencies that employ thousands of healthcare workers across New York State to perform Health Home care management. “Care management agencies will have to close their Health Home program and thousands of people will lose their jobs. In addition, the loss of decades of experience providing thousands of Health Home members with health, mental health, substance use disorder, harm reduction, food and nutrition, housing, and countless other services in the community would be astounding,” adds Lesieur. Many of the agencies that provide Health Home care services are small to medium size non-profit organizations.
iHealth is a statewide collaborative of community-based organizations united to advocate for and negotiate on behalf of our communities, our members and the chronically ill healthcare recipients we serve and to represent those programs and people within the broader healthcare system.
