New York’s Medicaid reforms came in $14 million under the state-mandated spending cap for this fiscal year, according to figures released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
At the same time, the state provided health insurance coverage to 140,000 additional New Yorkers. Without state reforms, spending would have jumped $2.3 billion this fiscal year.
Home care spending alone has dropped $300 million since 2010, according to the governor’s office. Over the next five years, the Medicaid reform initiatives will save a total of $34.3 billion..
Personal care spending is on the decline with per-recipient spending reduced to 2006 levels, according to a statement by Cuomo’s office.
Among the savings:
• $2.3 billion for implementing 78 reforms and other saving initiatives passed by the Legislature in 2011, which also saved a comparable amount for the federal government.
• More than $50 million in voluntary repayments to the state for outstanding liabilities owed by providers.
The new reforms include shifting less severe patients from the hospital and emergency room to more appropriate ambulatory/primary care settings, controlling home care and personal care spending and shifting Medicaid recipients from costly fee-for-service into Medicaid Managed Care.
