NY: State Claims that Institution's $1.7 Million per Client per Year Rate is too Low

From the Poughkeepsie Journal (11.1.10):

State defends highest cost in nation for mentally disabled

by Mary Beth Pfeiffer

New York state's highest-in-the-nation Medicaid reimbursement rate for the mentally disabled is legal and justified, officials argue in papers submitted to the federal government — and, moreover, they told the Poughkeepsie Journal, it should be even higher.

The federal government had asked the state to justify its $4,556 per-person daily rate at nine state institutions as "reasonable" in response to revelations in June in the Journal. The rate, paid half each by the state and federal governments, is four times higher than any other nationwide and about four times the actual cost of care.Nonetheless, in releasing documents that have been turned over to federal Medicaid officials in support of the rate, officials of the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities also revealed that they are seeking to increase it — though they would not say by how much. The rate, which is set by the state, went up about 10 percent in each of the past two years and is more than tenfold what it was in 1990...

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[TNVoter]

As someone with a disability and an independent voter, we need many more healthcare,civil rights and disability advocating Democrats representing us in all levels of Government in TN and in Washington DC!