A statement from Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (R,C,Ref-Mahopac)
“It is a slap in the face to both Republican and Democratic members of the Senate and Assembly to not have their respective leaders included in the Medicaid Redesign Team II (MRT 2), which is currently made up entirely by appointments from Gov. Cuomo. This is in contrast to the first Medicaid Redesign Team in 2011 which was made up of various stakeholders that also included appointments from both legislative leaders in the Senate and Assembly. With Medicaid being the largest portion of our state’s budget, and something which affects every county government, as well as patients and providers throughout the state, legislative leaders should absolutely be involved in this discussion.
“As I stated in the Joint Assembly Senate Health Budget Hearing, transparency and balance are key to ensure everyone has a say in something so important to not only our state’s budget, but millions of New Yorkers. So far, the roll-out of MRT 2 lacks both. While the governor’s recent announcement stated there will be public hearings, we will just have to wait and see how those go, if they happen at all.”
Assemblyman Byrne is the ranking member on the Assembly’s Committee on Health.
While the governor did directly appoint legislative staff from Assembly Ways & Means and Senate Finance, he did not include appointments from elected legislative leaders as he did in the original MRT. The governor’s press release announcing members of the Medicaid Redesign Team II may be found HERE