Lawmakers reject Hochul's proposed cuts to $6B home care program for patients to choose their own caregiver.

Caregivers; Patient care; Legislators

New York state legislators have rejected Governor Kathy Hochul's proposal to cut costs related to the Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPA), a $6 billion home care program funded by Medicaid. The program allows New Yorkers to hire their own home care aides, giving them the freedom to manage their own care. However, the state has become skeptical of the program's high costs and lack of transparency. The proposed changes to the CDPA program, including reducing wages for personal care aides and limiting their hours, were omitted from the legislature's budget proposals. Advocates argue that these changes would reduce access to care and exacerbate the shortage of home care workers. Despite the opposition to the governor's cuts, a proposal to shift home care services from Medicaid managed care to a state-operated fee-for-service program was not included in the budget proposals either. The final budget is expected to be adopted by April 1. [Extracted from the article]

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