Senator Defrancisco Applauds New York State for Sparing Onondaga County Taxpayers an Extra $2 Million Medicaid Payment in 2012
John A. DeFrancisco
October 27, 2011
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ISSUE:
- Medicaid
Senator John A. DeFrancisco applauded the state’s decision to reschedule the due date for a mandated Medicaid payment from counties, a move that will spare Onondaga County homeowners and taxpayers an unexpected $2 million mandate next year.
Senator DeFrancisco said that Onondaga County was on the hook for an extra payment in 2012 because the state had moved the payment deadline to December 31, 2012 in order to avoid the January 1, 2013 New Year’s holiday. That move pushed the payment into the counties’ 2012 budget year and threatened to throw local governments budgets out of balance.
“I am pleased that the state has recognized the problem that moving the payment date would have caused, and corrected it. However, it brings to our attention, once again, New York State’s Medicaid problem. Onondaga County will pay approximately $2 million and the State will pay at least $1 billion per week for Medicaid in 2013,” said Senator DeFrancisco.
“Taxpayers are very concerned about government expenditures at all levels, rather than what pocket they pay their taxes from. The real answer to this problem is to lower Medicaid costs overall, so that both state and local taxes can be reduced,” concluded Senator DeFrancisco.