The state-funded share of Medicaid costs will escalate rapidly over the next few years as Albany assumes responsibility for a greater share of county and New York Medicaid costs, according to projections explained in a new report from the Empire Center for New York State. Read More
When premium increases are capped, insurance companies tend to seek rate increases closer to the limit. Tighter regulation of premiums could undermine the profitability of a company whose financial health the state is banking on to finance health care programs. The focus should be on health insurance regulations that drive up rates. Read More
The growing cost of New York's Medicaid program is once again looming as a key issue in a potential budget veto showdown between Governor Pataki and the Legislature. To no one's surprise, the budget adopted by the Senate and Assembly last wee Read More
High medical malpractice premiums in New York can be linked directly to the state's large malpractice litigation awards, according to a new study by the Manhattan Institute's Center for Legal Policy. Based on a statistical analysis of mal Read More
As the state's 2006 legislative session winds down, it appears Senate lawmakers won't vote on a proposed bill that would require large companies to provide comprehensive health care benefits to their workers. Read More
New York’s state and local governments provide their retired employees with continuing health insurance coverage on the same basis as active workers, at benefit levels far more generous than those available to taxpayers employed in the private sector. Read More
With the election of New York's governor just seven weeks away, Democrat Eliot Spitzer and Republican John Faso have released plans to reform Medicaid and rein in its soaring costs. But given their timid suggestions, New Yorkers should hardly expect any significant drop in Medicaid's skyrocketing budget or savings from lower property taxes. Read More
Nearly 100 people turned out for a Sept. 26 Empire Center forum, featuring some of the nation's top health experts who spoke on issues ranging from curbing health-care expenses and Medicaid reform to improving services and making private insu Read More