Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C-Mohawk Valley and the Adirondacks) has co-sponsored a bill introduced by Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C-Yorktown) that would require Enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (eFMAP) funds to be shared directly with counties and New York City (A.6218/S.6716). New legislation introduced by Gov. Kathy Hochul is designed to cap the funds counties and New York City receive from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and transfer them to the state budget, which could devastate Medicaid programs statewide. Several other Assembly Minority Members have already co-sponsored Slater’s bill to stop this from happening, and Smullen is proud to join them in an effort to help preserve the current proportional sharing of eFMAP funds for counties across the state.

“If Gov. Hochul’s plan to cap the amount of federal savings for counties and New York City prevails, we could see the state’s property taxes skyrocket and Medicaid programs take a massive financial hit,” said Smullen. “New York families rely on the Medicaid program for health services, and to adequately provide these services, counties and New York City need the funds to do so. Allowing counties to continue to benefit from the enhanced federal match under the ACA would ensure that hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers will still be able to benefit from Medicaid and not have to worry about financial backlash in the future.”