January 25, 2007
Conference preview – NYSAC 2007 Legislative Conference
Governor Eliot Spitzer and legislative leaders will address over 700 county officials at NYSAC’s upcoming Legislative Conference. Workshop topics include personnel and labor, energy, health and human services, public safety, governance, legal issues, economic development and professional development. Don’t miss:
- The Opening Plenary Session featuring Governor Spitzer and legislative leaders on Tuesday, January 30th at 9 a.m.
- Ethics in Government on Monday, January 29th from 2 to 5 p.m.
- Two prominent state political media consultants discuss the impact of the 2006 campaign and look ahead to ’07 and beyond on Tuesday, January 30 at 10:30 a.m.
- Understanding Community Colleges on Tuesday, January 30th from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
- Next steps in the Health Care Facility Rightsizing plan on Tuesday, January 30th from 2 to 3:15 p.m.
- What happens when the Sheriff of Wall Street becomes Governor on Wednesday, January 31st from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
- And many other great programs.
For more details, visit www.nysac.org.
Who’s on First? Patients, According to Spitzer’s Health Plan Governor Spitzer today delivered his first budget-related speech to a select, ticket-only audience at the Rockefeller Institute in Albany. The Governor unveiled the “Patient-First” agenda and key budget initiatives for healthcare in New York State. NYSAC is pleased that the Governor’s plan addresses one of our key 2007 legislative priorities: to support primary and preventive care as the foundation of healthcare reform in New York. NYSAC also supports putting patients first when it comes to healthcare; however, we are mindful of the obstacles facing the county-owned healthcare facilities and the impact these facilities have on real property tax payers. The following are highlights of Governor Spitzer’s Patient-First agenda. The Patient-First agenda includes a reformation of the Medicaid program, focusing on “strategic freezes.” Specifically, the Governor mentioned imposing a freeze on Medicaid rates to nursing homes and hospitals, as well as a partial freeze on managed care plans, but noted that there will be no freeze on rates to home care providers. Perhaps the biggest changes the Governor repeatedly mentioned will be to the Graduate Medical Education (GME) program and to Medicaid funding for worker recruitment and retention. Other actions not mentioned, but anticipated, will involve the Level 1 personal care services and other mental health/developmental health investments. The Governor expressed that he intends to use the savings from these initiatives for targeted reinvestment, largely for an up to 400% of poverty level expansion of the Child Health Plus program. Also, the Governor stressed that health insurance companies will no longer receive “deep discounts.”
The State will pay what the Governor deems a “fair reimbursement” that reflects the true cost of high quality care, and the State will redirect Medicaid money to those facilities that serve the bulk of Medicaid patients. Governor Spitzer prioritized no longer paying for “out-of-control” pharmaceutical costs, and intends to strengthen the State’s Preferred Drug List. There will also be a tremendous focus on fighting Medicaid fraud, including devoting more to the Medicaid Inspector General (MIG) office and a legislative proposal to invoke the “Martin and False Claims Act.” In addition, the Governor will ask for legislative authority to fund “coordinated care” of the cross-systems population (mental illness, substance abuse, diabetes/pulmonary disease). He will also seek to not only expand managed long-term care but also to reorganize the Department of Health, including the creation of an Office of Long-Term Care. Other initiatives mentioned involve investing in electronic health records, electronic prescribing and telemedicine. (Jessica Morelli)
Executive State Budget to be unveiled Wednesday
All eyes and ears will be on Albany Wednesday as Governor Spitzer releases his first Executive State Budget proposal. With "property tax relief" a welcomed theme of Governor Spitzer's new administration, the question on the minds of county officials will be how does the proposed spending plan help counties achieve this important goal? NYSAC will be looking for proposals that impact revenue and spending at the local level, as well as new policy initiatives that may affect the programs and services provided by our county members. NYSAC will show the Governor’s Budget message live at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center following the closing plenary of the NYSAC Legislative Conference at 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 31st. NYSAC staff will be completing a detailed analysis of the budget and will provide it to county officials as soon as it is available.
In addition, on February 9, 2007 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., NYSAC will broadcast a live Webinar with a more detailed analysis of the Governor’s spending plan. To register, click here or visit our web site at www.nysac.org. (Ken Crannell)
OSC Releases Indigent Legal Service Fund estimates This week the Office of State Comptroller (OSC) released 2007 distribution estimates on the Indigent Legal Services Fund (ILSF). These figures help counties determine the portion of indigent defense expenses they will receive in 2007. Based on current collections, OSC indicates that on March 31, 2007 there will be nearly $68 million available in the ILSF for distribution to local governments.
The March 31, 2007 ILSF distribution is based on last year’s expenditures, which have yet to be reported. Under statute, these expenditures must be certified and reported to the Comptroller’s office by March 1, 2007. Counties that do not file their report in time cannot be included in the distribution. Therefore, counties should ensure their March ILSF report is filed in a timely manner. Click the following link to see the Projected ILSF March 2007 Distribution, http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/finreporting/ilsf/07estimateschart.pdf.
(Adriano Bongiorno)
Next week
- The NYSAC Legislative Conference convenes on Monday with NYSAC Standing Committee meetings and is scheduled through Wednesday morning’s closing plenary session.
- On Tuesday, Governor Eliot Spitzer and legislative leaders will address county delegates at the NYSAC Conference.
- In honor of the passing of Assemblyman John Lavelle, the Assembly will not be in session on Monday, January 29th. They will reconvene on Tuesday.
- The State Senate will be in session on Monday and Tuesday of next week.
- On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on "Reforming the New York State Justice Courts" in Albany.
- Governor Spitzer will release his Executive State Budget proposal on Wednesday at 11 a.m.