NYSACRA

HHS NAMES NEW ACTING ADMINISTRATOR AT CMS

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson named Dennis G. Smith as interim head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).  He became Acting Administrator following the resignation of CMS Administrator Tom Scully, who left to work for Alston & Bird, a law firm based in Atlanta that represents many hospitals, drug manufacturers and other companies in the health care industry.  Smith was Director of CMS' Center for Medicaid and State Operations.  At the same time, Secretary Thompson said Leslie V. Norwalk would remain in her position as Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer at CMS.  Norwalk will continue to be the CMS lead in carrying out the Medicare legislation signed into law by the President last week.  With an estimated FY 2004 budget of almost a half trillion dollars ($495 billion in budget authority), CMS' Medicare and Medicaid are the second and third largest federal programs, behind the Social Security Administration in total budget.

STATE LEADERS FOCUS ON MEDICAID

With county executives screaming about the skyrocketing cost of Medicaid services, State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, said o­n Tuesday that he would push hard this year to reduce the cost of Medicaid.  Bruno made it clear that he believed the state could find savings in the $42 billion program.  He has convened a bipartisan task force to come up with ways to cut back the program, and will issue a report later this month.  "We think we can take a lot of money out and not really impact the quality of care for those people who really need the care," Mr. Bruno said.  His announcement set the stage for what is likely to be a struggle in the upcoming budget negotiations.  Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said that local officials who complain about the Medicaid program's costs should specify what they would cut.  Democratic Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi said New York is the o­nly state in the nation that requires localities to pay a share of Medicaid.  He accused the Legislature and Governor of ignoring proposals by county executives that he said would provide substantial Medicaid relief to counties while enhancing, not reducing, services.  Suozzi believes there are creative ways to provide the best Medicaid services in the nation, but at a reduced cost from what they're now currently paying.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE NYSACRA LEGISLATIVE GAZETTE SPECIAL SECTION

Shortly you will be receiving the information for taking out an ad in the February 2, 2004 issue of the Legislative Gazette for NYSACRA’s Legislative Day 2004.  This issue comes out the day before NYSACRA’s Legislative Day, which is o­n Tuesday, February 3^rd.  For every ad you take, NYSACRA is allowed an equal space to publish our message to the Legislature, Governor and the State.  Please thank the Legislature and Governor for their past support and show your support for our Direct Support Workforce.  See you o­n Tuesday, February 3, 2004!

PLEASE SEND IN YOUR LEGISLATIVE DAY SIGN-UP!

Please take a few moments and fill out the NYSACRA Legislative Day 2004 Sign-Up Form or use the o­nline version at the NYSACRA website, www.nysacra.org, or by clicking o­n the following link:  2004 Sign-Up Form.