#NYCoronavirus: Amid the legislative confusion generated by the coronavirus crisis in New York, the biggest budget question in Albany surrounds the biggest single item in the State Operating Funds (SOF) budget: school aid. Read More
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#NYCoronavirus: Tightening eligibility for Medicaid home care and implementing a further across-the board rate reduction are among 41 cost-cutting measures being contemplated by Governor Cuomo's Medicaid Redesign Team, according to a draft executive summary obtained by the Empire Center. Read More
#NYCoronavirus: Thanks to the coronavirus emergency, New York State tax revenues in the coming fiscal year will be $4 billion to $7 billion lower than projected, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli estimates. Read More
With any luck, the coronavirus will be a fading memory by summer. But by then, massive (if temporary) damage will already have been done to the state and regional economies. The Empire State and its local governments, including Gotham, will have to confront a fiscal crisis as intense as the current public-health emergency. Read More
#NYCoronavirus: As they struggle to contain the coronavirus outbreak on the eve of their budget deadline, the state's elected leaders have run out of good options for dealing with Medicaid. Read More
Barely one in five private construction workers in New York State was covered by a union contract last year, according to newly released statistics that call into question a state public works "prevailing wage" mandate that assumes 30 percent union coverage of building trades occupations across New York. Read More
Billions of dollars in hidden state taxes are driving up the cost of health insurance for New York consumers and employers, according to a report published today by the Empire Center. Read More
Faced with a $2.5 billion deficit in the Medicaid budget, Governor Andrew Cuomo has floated the idea of closing the gap in part with “additional industry revenue.” This raises concern that lawmakers will again hike New York’s already heavy taxes on health insurance – and deepen the state’s addiction to an unhealthy source of revenue. Read More