Salaries of city-based health aides will increase Saturday from $10.93 to $14.09 as mandated by the state’s 2011 Medicaid reforms, but health-care providers say the state must do more to cover those costs.
State-mandated pay increases for home-health aides go into effect Saturday, and health-care providers say the state must do more to cover the cost or many providers will no longer be able to participate in Medicaid.
ALBANY — Hefty state-mandated pay hikes for home-health aides could endanger the care tens of thousands of homebound city residents receive, advocates warn.
Salaries of city-based health aides will increase Saturday from $10.93 to $14.09 an hour thanks to the state’s 2011 Medicaid reforms.
Health-care providers say the state must do more to cover the costs – or many of them will have to abandon Medicaid, leaving elderly and disabled New Yorkers scrambling for services.
“Our phone is ringing off the hook with organizations that are trying to decide whether to stay in the program,” said Christy Johnston of the Association of Health Care Providers.
Gov. Cuomo’s budget proposal included an extra $350 million to help cover the cost of the raises, but Johnston’s group believes the actual cost will be at least $500 million.