New York, NY - October 13, 2017 - New York State Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson today released the following letters to CEOs of New York Public and Safety Net Hospitals following Congress' failure to reinstate the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments on October 1, 2017. The federal government's failure to act has resulted in a federal funding cut of $2.6 billion to the state's public hospitals, which provide critical care to millions of our most vulnerable citizens across New York.
New York State Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson said, "The Federal DSH program's current funding level was cut on October 1. Some in Congress hope to restore the program, but the state must operate on the current law. DOB and DOH, working with outside financial consultants, have completed a preliminary analysis of the DSH program. This final review of hospitals which are heavily dependent on DSH is expected to be completed by December 1, 2017. Funding under DSH is complex. Upon the implementation of the federal cuts, it was necessary to justify each hospital's fair allocation, regardless of the timing of the invoices they had submitted to date. We have determined the annualized payment to each hospital and seek to fund each hospital to their full annualized allocation by December 31. Our priorities are fair allocations to all hospitals involved in the program, stability of the workforce and preservation of the highest levels of patient care."
Letters from New York State Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson to CEOs of New York Public and Safety Net Hospitals are available below.
- The letter to Westchester Medical Center President/Chief Executive Officer Michael D. Israel is available here.
- The letter to Nassau University Medical Center President/Chief Executive Officer Victor F. Politi, M.D. is available here.
- The letter to NYC Health & Hospitals Corporation Interim President & CEO Stanley Brezenoff is available here.
- The letter to State University of New York Chief Officer of Academic Health and Hospital Affairs Ricardo Azziz, Ph.D. is available here.
- The letter to Erie County Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Thomas J. Quatroche, Jr. Ph.D. is available here.