ACCARDO CHALLENGES MEDICAID STANCE

Assembly candidate John Accardo has called for more aggressive control of New York’s Medicaid programs.

“The taxpayers of New York State cannot continue to subsidize the most lavish Medicaid program in the United States,” begins Accardo.

“Do the math,” Accardo says, ” you don’t have to be a genius to figure out that something is wrong when seven per cent of this Country’s population ( New York State) uses more than 14 % of the total Medicaid dollars spent nationwide.”

Laying the blame directly at the feet of Albany representatives, Accardo describes $49 billion in annual Medicaid Budget spending as reckless. “We have nobody to fault but ourselves for allowing Medicaid expenditures to run wild. Think about it, the average Medicaid payment per enrollee in New York State is $7,927. That amount per enrollee is more than the cost would be than if you combined the enrollee expenditures in the States of Texas and California.”

“I, in principle support providing Medicaid Services to those in need,” admits the former Niagara Falls City Councilman, “but the failure of State agencies to adequately police Medicaid continues to cripple our local governments.”

“Remember,” warns Accardo, “half of the non-federal cost of Medicaid programs falls directly on the backs of taxpayers throughout the counties of New York State. Sadly, New York is the only State in this Country where a portion of the State’s Medicaid costs is passed down to the counties. These costs can only be defrayed by higher property and sales taxes or a reduction in local services.”

Today, Medicaid consumes about one-third of New York State’s total budget, more than twice the national average. “The political sensitivity of questioning Medicaid, the threat of services to the less fortunate,” recognizes Accardo, “has weakened the intensity of any re-designing of Medicaid programs.”

“For years we have had elected officials, from the Governor’s office on down,” points out Accardo,”who ran for office preaching Medicaid reform, but when they were elected, simply became part of the problem.” Accardo uses former Governor George Pataki as an example.

“When Pataki took control of the governor’s office, he vowed to address Medicaid abuse,” claims Accardo, “by the time he left Albany, Medicaid spending in New York State had doubled.”

Admitting the task of Medicaid reform is an enormous one, Accardo says what ever we are doing now is not enough. “We must ask ourselves where do we begin? We begin by picking specific shortcomings of the program and attack them head-on. ”

“For example, Pharmacies are not required to deliver generic prescriptions to Medicaid enrollees,” outlines Accardo.”Unlike so many of us with private insurance, enrollees are prescribed name brand drugs. Unbelievably, if Medicaid enrollees were simply required to use generic drugs the costs savings in Niagara County, alone, could reach $2 million annually. Statewide the savings could top $200 million. I am committed to introducing legislation that will make generic prescriptions the rule rather than the exception for New York State Medicaid participants.”

Accardo remains deeply troubled by the wealthy elderly who deliberately rid themselves of personal assets to qualify for Medicaid nursing home coverage. “Where does qualification stop and fraud begin,” questions Accardo. “The intent of Medicaid was never to underwrite the expenses of the self-sustaining members of our society. Popular or not, the retroactive time frame for assessing personal assets should have been expanded long ago , an expansion only enabled by specific legislation. I have every intention of introducing such legislation.”

“As we work to improve the efficiency of New York‘s Medicaid initiatives,” ends Accardo “we do so knowing we can’t afford things the way they are, nor can future generations of New Yorkers