From today's NY Health Care newsletter: politico.com/newsletters/we…

Reminds me of New York's deal to pay insurers ~$49M under the new Essential Plan expansion because they argued it'd cause healthy enrollees to shift off Qualified Health Plans, necessitating higher premiums (which NY wanted to prevent).
politico.com/newsletters/we…

'Despite Medicaid’s unwinding ... at least two of the five largest publicly traded companies selling plans have continued to increase revenue from the program.'
kffhealthnews.org/news/article/m…

Study published today is the third to find that prices spike after cross-market #hospital mergers, and the first to find that quality does not improve statnews.com/2024/04/23/hos… via STAT

My reporter Kyle Cheney now has a better record in court than I ever did in my short-lived, misbegotten stint as a lawyer. Congrats to Kyle for advancing an important fight for transparency.

politico.com/news/2024/04/2…

The 2024-25 state budget will include up to $525 million in state + federal funds for 'interim' Medicaid rate hikes for hospitals.

And a new transformation program for safety-net hospitals will require funding recipients to secure a partner org. 👀
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2024/0…

We have a final deal on SUNY Downstate....

... but you know what we don't have? All the public records that I've requested about the 'transformation plan' that SUNY officials released in January!

SUNY has now been ignoring my requests for 3 months.

Saving SUNY Downstate: King and Hochul weigh in on the final agreement

The latest from the dogged coverage from Katelyn Cordero:

subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2024/0…

.Maya Kaufman with all the health-care budget news...

Budget offers billions in aid for New York hospitals
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2024/0…

More than 80% of the NYC subway's former retail spaces are vacant. That isn’t helping with perceptions of safety.

Fantastic reporting on the scramble to fix it by Caroline Spivack, visuals from Buck Ennis and design by Jason McGregor, for Crain's New York

crainsnewyork.com/transportation…

Mayor Adams: 'I don’t think any rodent could traumatize you more than a rat.'

Bill de Blasio:

Latest: At least half of NYC's clubhouses are losing funding and at risk of closing amid the city's plan to focus on fewer, larger spaces that serve more ppl.

Clubhouses are community spaces that provide a lifeline for NYers with serious mental illness

gothamist.com/news/at-least-…

'It’s not easy to get a budget in Albany, a capricious Capitol where ambitious legislative programs can wither on the vine...' Nick Reisman Emily Ngo Jeff Coltin
politico.com/newsletters/ne…

Hochul's budget director says, 'The Medicaid program even under the governor's budget was growing by 11%.'

That requires clarification.

So-called 'DOH Medicaid' was up 11%, but all state Medicaid, including through mental hygiene agencies, was down 2% budget.ny.gov/pubs/archive/f…