N.Y. Medicaid system saves $2.3 billion

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ALBANY, N.Y., May 3 (UPI) -- Spending on New York state's Medicaid system finished the 2011-2012 fiscal year $14 million under the Medicaid global spending cap, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

Cuomo said the newly designed program did not reduce benefits but provided health insurance coverage to an additional 140,000 low-income New Yorkers, while saving the state $2.3 billion and the federal government a comparable amount.

Cuomo said initiatives proposed by the Medicaid Redesign Team and adopted by the state Legislature last year will lead to $34.3 billion in saving during the next five years, divided equally between the state and federal government.

"Finishing the fiscal year $14 million under the global spending cap demonstrates the effectiveness of the Medicaid Redesign Team's work over the past year. The team brought together industry professionals, healthcare experts and the public to find ways to cut costs and improve care," Cuomo said in a statement.

The Medicaid changes included, shifting less severely ill patients from the hospital and emergency room to more appropriate ambulatory/primary care settings; controlling home care and personal care spending; shifting Medicaid recipients from costly fee-for-service into Medicaid managed care where services are better coordinated; and voluntary repayment of more than $50 million to the state for outstanding liabilities.