Tenney touts health care amendment

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, R-22, joined elected officials in the 22nd District on Thursday to announce the passage of the Collins-Faso Amendment, which would relieve New York State of $7.5 billion in unfunded Albany mandates.

For decades, Tenney says, Albany has forced Upstate counties to bear a disproportionately large share of the state’s Medicaid budget. This amendment would prohibit states from passing Medicaid costs on to counties.

New York counties pay nearly seventimesmore than counties in California pay, even though California outstrips New York’s Medicaid program in both enrollment and expenditures. In 2015, the 22nd District paid $167.7 million to support Albany’s Medicaid program.

Ultimately, Tenney believes these unfunded mandates cause property taxes to soar while diverting important local money that could be used to fund schools, improve roads, and support first responders.

“No other state in the country abuses its local governments and taxpayers quite like Albany to fund an expansive Medicaid program. Our already strapped county governments are forced to divert $7.5 billion a year to support New York State’s Medicaid liability. Each day, $140 million is ripped away from our counties to support Albany’s out-of-control spending. If every other state in the nation can provide highquality Medicaid services without passing the buck onto local governments, then so too can New York. The state Legislature and governor will simply have to work over a period of several years to review the state budget to responsibly reduce the unfair and unreasonable Medicaid liability that

has been forced onto our counties,” Tenney said.

More locally, the CollinsFaso Amendment could spell out significant savings.

“If this measure is included in the Senate’s version of ACA reform, Madison County would be able to reduce our county property tax levy by about 30 percent,” said Madison County Administrator Mark Scimone. For 2017, the county has nearly $11 million budgeted.

“I have long been a strong advocate of mandate relief,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. “I have worked across the aisle as well with the New York State Association of Counties, where I currently serve as the Immediate Past President, to bring mandate relief in various ways, including pension reform, a Medicaid cap, indigent defense and more. This amendment is a positive step that would bring $55 million-plus worth of mandate relief annually and I encourage its inclusion in the Senate’s final version.”

Unfunded mandates were a target of Tenney’s ire while she campaigned in the 22nd District.

“As a small business owner, I ran for Congress to provide relief for the struggling families, small businesses and local governments across the 22nd District. This amendment represents the first real tax relief in a generation for Upstate property taxpayers, who pay among the highest taxes in the entire nation. It will have a tangible local impact and will reduce the tax burden while freeing up more money for our local communities to invest,” she said.