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State Legislative Goals for 2025
New York StateWide Senior Action Council (“StateWide”) urges the NYS Legislature and the Governor to address our priority concerns in the 2025 Session. We will be strong advocates on issues related to:
- the home care worker shortage
- ensuring quality of care in hospitals and nursing homes and upholding consumer rights
- adequate funding for services for older residents, including expanded funding for StateWide’sPatient Rights Helpline and Medicare & EPIC counseling programs
- ensuring full funding for Medicaid, especially in light of potential federal reductions
- improving health delivery systems and access to care, including dental providers,while addressing the capacity of the entire medical workforce to meet the needs of anaging population
- addressing the shortage of affordable, accessible and supportive housing
- providing adequate budget funding to the NYS Office for Aging (NYSOFA) and otherstate agencies that provide essential senior services to address a) current shortages,wait lists and unmet need b) the continued rapid aging of the population and c) the impact of sustained higher than normal inflation.
State Legislative Goals for 2025 (cont.)
Federal Legislative Goals for 2025
New York StateWide Senior Action Council (“StateWide”) urges the NYS Congressional Delegation and the President to address our priority concerns in the 119th Congress. We will be strong advocates on issues related to:
- solutions to the home care worker shortage to ensure people of all ages and abilities can receive care in the community
- ensuring quality of care in hospitals and nursing homes, including adequate oversight, safe staffing standards and upholding consumer rights
- minimizing the use of insurer prior authorization that delays access to services appropriate to the standard of care
- adequate funding for services for older residents, including modernization of the Older Americans Act and extending the Affordable Connectivity Program
- addressing the shortage of affordable, accessible and supportive housing
- improving the solvency of the Medicare and Social Security Trust funds without cuts to benefits or eligibility for current enrollees or generations to come
- opposing privatization of Social Security and policies that favor commercial Medicare coverage over original Medicare
- opposing reductions in the federal share of Medicaid costs and proposals to provide block grant funding to states that are a de facto cut
- opposing tax cuts for the richest Americans and corporations at the expense of reduced services benefiting the majority of Americans (eg. healthcare, social services such as SNAP benefits and environmental protections)
Federal Legislative Goals for 2025 (cont.)
StateWide Joins Senator Schumer in Celebrating the 90th Anniversary of Social Security
StateWide Board Member Michele Rogers spoke at a press conference with US Senator Charles Schumer at the Glens Falls Senior Center on August 14 to celebrate the special anniversary, noting that it has that lifted generations out of poverty. Social Security is a vital...
Medicaid Recertification Processes are Changing
During and following the pandemic, the federal government had authorized states increased ability to streamline enrollment in Medicaid. Now the period of "unwinding" from these flexibilities is upon us and we will see changes to requirements to continue Medicaid...