NY plan for home-care pay causes worry

Cuomo administration officials said last week its "living-wage" proposal for home-care workers in the Medicaid budget won't cost taxpayers a dime, despite industry estimates that it will cost $416 million. Jason Helgerson, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's Medicaid guru, told a legislative committee Thursday that home care agencies would foot the bill because Cuomo's budget would cap state Medicaid spending. With administrative costs out of control, "there's savings to be found in these agencies so that the [living wage] cost can be absorbed," he said. But industry officials said it would put agencies out of business and marked a quid pro quo with the union, 1199/SEIU, which is backing huge Medicaid cuts. "It's devastating," said Bob Callaghan, a Selden home-care consultant.

- Michael Amon