NYC wants bigger cut of stimulus The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration objected Wednesday to the way the state plans to distribute Medicaid money included in the federal stimulus package, saying Albany is shorting the city by as much as $500 million. The state’s allocation of the stimulus Medicaid funds “shorts the city anywhere from $200 to $500 million, and possibly even more,” spokesman Stu Loeser said in a statement. New York state expects to receive a $2.7 billion boost in Medicaid money included in the federal stimulus package. State officials estimated earlier Wednesday that New York City will receive $1.9 billion, while the rest of the state will share about $776 million. In the Capital Region, the totals would be as follows: Albany County, $22.3 million; Fulton County, $4.8 million; Montgomery County, $4.2 million; Rensselaer County, $13.1 million; Saratoga County, $8.7 million; Schenectady County, $12.3 million; and Schoharie County, $2 million. But Loeser said the city estimates that its share of Medicaid dollars is at least $2.1 billion, and some estimates go as high as $2.8 billion. A spokesman for the state budget division, Jeffrey Gordon, said the amount allotted to the city nearly matches “the $2 billion projected by Bloomberg’s office in its original budget proposal. “We believe that this is a fair and equitable distribution of FMAP funding that provides New York City significant relief,” he said. The money is coming through increased federal Medicaid reimbursements over 27 months as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. It’s meant to help hold the line on New York state’s local property taxes, which are among the highest in the nation. Despite the billions of dollars in federal stimulus money provided through Medicaid, Gov. David Paterson said he still wants some of his Medicaid proposals to go through. He said the state can’t afford what he called the fastest growing part of its budget. Paterson called for painful cuts in his proposed 2009-10 budget, including a 3 percent cut in ..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01703
NYC is a rescue city which invites anyone from anywhere to come to NYC to enjoy their very generous welfare program which is placing a very large drain on the taxpayers and must be cut to a realistic level.
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