Home

nyahsa

New York Association of Homes & Services for the Aging

NYAHSA Home  »  Press Releases

Legacy Doc ID# 14408405

For Release:  IMMEDIATE February 27, 2004

Contact:  Daniel Curran 518-449-2707, ext. 124 518-369-6890 (cell)

                    Nursing Homes Fight Budget Cuts With “Preserve Access to Senior Services”
Campaign NYAHSA Members to Protest in Albany

(ALBANY) – Representatives of more than 650 long term care providers from across the state will converge on Albany on Monday, March 1, 2004, to meet with state legislators and launch a grassroots campaign “PASS:  Preserve Access to Senior Services.”

The PASS campaign will enable New Yorkers – consumers and providers alike – to voice their support for changes in New York’s long term care system and opposition to the state’s proposed Medicaid cuts. Participants will explain the devastating impact such cuts will have on nursing homes, home care agencies and other long term care providers in Senate and Assembly districts across New York. 

The state budget proposal released in January contains over $60 million in new nursing home Medicaid cuts and over $140 million in increased or new cash receipts assessment taxes on nursing homes and home care agencies in the 2004-05 state fiscal year.  These providers have absorbed nearly $3 billion in state budget cuts since 1995, even in years when other areas of the budget remained intact.

“Operating losses, liquidity problems and high risk of bankruptcy are becoming commonplace for New York’s nursing homes and other long term care providers,” said Carl S. Young, president of the New York Association of Homes & Services for the Aging (NYAHSA).  "Medicaid cuts like those proposed in the state budget can only result in providers being forced to cut staffing and deny new admissions.  At the end of the day, these cuts will threaten quality of care and access to long term care services for all New Yorkers--not just Medicaid recipients--who need long term care services."

During their visit to Albany on Legislative Day, NYAHSA members will brief legislators and aides on key issues including the impact of proposed Medicaid cuts, details of proposals to help providers adapt to accommodate the needs of future generations and ways to assist financially distressed nursing homes.

The representatives, all of whom are members of the New York Association of Homes & Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) and represent the state’s not-for-profit, mission-driven and public long term care providers, will meet with more than 100 state legislators.

“New York’s legislators need to hear about the negative impact of these cuts and how these issues will impact their districts,” Young continued. “We thank NYAHSA’s members for working to make this message heard.”

-30-

Founded in 1961, the New York Association of Homes & Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) represents more than 650 not-for-profit, mission-driven and public continuing care providers, including nursing homes, senior housing, adult care facilities, continuing care retirement communities, assisted living and community service providers.