Conflicting numbers on nursing home deaths

Daily Point

AG James weighs in with nursing home report

For an example of how state Attorney General Letitia James’ nursing home report was being interpreted among New York political junkies, look no further than the take by the website Empire Report:

"SIREN: AG ACCUSES CUOMO," said the subject line from the outfit’s breaking news email Thursday.

James’ findings include that a larger number of nursing home residents died from COVID-19 than shown by state Department of Health data. The 76-page report also notes that "Government guidance requiring the admission of COVID-19 patients into nursing homes may have put residents at increased risk of harm in some facilities and may have obscured the data available to assess that risk."

Those are unwelcome conclusions for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who has been particularly criticized by Democrats and Republicans for his March 25 directive about admitting patients into nursing homes. That the damning material comes from James, who has been closely allied to Cuomo since his endorsement of her AG bid, also raised eyebrows. Some political insiders saw the report as a bold-faced example of James separating herself from Cuomo and showing her independence.

"It could actually be the truth," one said about the report’s tough conclusions.

Another interpretation is that she could hardly have avoided the subject.

"The pandemic is the biggest thing the state has ever experienced, in some ways bigger than 9/11," said Michael Balboni, former state senator and the executive director of the Greater New York Health Care Facilities Association, which represents nursing homes. "It’s inconceivable that she wouldn’t weigh in at some point."

James’ early career came out of the progressive, Working Families Party wing of NYC politics.That’s not the usual crowd for Cuomo, who ultimately became a political benefactor, fundraising for James in the 2018 AG race and having her along for a post-Hurricane Maria trip to Puerto Rico.

Politics aside, the numbers and conclusions from James’ report are sure to bring another round of scrutiny on Cuomo’s early pandemic record.

It’s one Cuomo is quick to defend. By Thursday afternoon, his health commissioner, Howard Zucker, had sent out a statement of some 1,700 words about the report, arguing against different interpretations, noting that the administration asked for scrutiny on nursing homes, and putting blame on a higher power: "Ultimately, the OAG's report demonstrates that the recurring problems in nursing homes and by facility operators resulted from a complete abdication by the Trump administration of its duty to manage this pandemic."

—Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano

Talking Point

Making SALT a little sweeter

The push to restore the full federal deduction for state and local taxes is getting a little more traction — and a little more intrigue.

On Thursday, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Tom Suozzi dropped identical bills in their chambers that would put more money back in the wallets of just about half of Long Islanders who file returns with the Internal Revenue Service.

"This is an essential step in the process," said a spokesman for Schumer, noting that the Senate bill has the support of six Democratic senators and that the House bill garnered some Republican support, including from LI’s newest member, CD2’s Andrew Garbarino.

"SALT gets a little sugar," the spokesman said.

But will Schumer, now the powerful Senate majority leader, actually use his muscle to get over the finish line a bill that mostly benefits coastal states? In his budget presentation last week, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo made it clear that the burden was on Schumer to get it done. But the majority leader has yet to reveal a strategy as the Biden administration and congressional Democrats strategize over whether there should be one massive stimulus bill or two smaller ones. Does an initial stimulus bill, a skinny version without SALT and state and local aid, pass with bipartisan support to reinforce Biden’s unity message? If so, can Schumer cram SALT into a second bill that would have to go through a more complicated budget reconciliation process that allows Democrats to avoid the need for Republican votes?

"It’s a game-time decision," said the spokesman. "When you see you can do something, you have to move quickly,"

A 2017 law capped the deduction at $10,000. IRS data from the last year the full deduction was available shows that it was widely used by Long Islanders: CD1, 47%; CD2, 45%; CD3, 53%; and CD4, 48%. With home values soaring on Long Island, it is likely even more homeowners would benefit now.

A Schumer news release, which pointedly praised Suozzi, emphasizes that the SALT deduction benefits the middle class, certainly by New York income standards. It states that in NYC, 86% of the beneficiaries (1,388,120 households) fell into that "middle class" definition as did 78% in Nassau County (366,910 households) and 84% in Suffolk (369,060 households). Schumer’s definition of "middle class" is households making $92,238 to $138,492 with an average of three people.

It’s a critical point for Schumer, who needs to combat the argument from the left — read AOC — that the full SALT deduction benefits the wealthy. There’s nothing like an upcoming election and a potential primary threat from progressives to force a focus on what suburban voters want and how seniority and clout can get that done.

—Rita Ciolli @ritaciolli

Pencil Point

Righting the wrongs

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/cartoons

Final Point

Getting shots in arms

A leading New York City business group is putting its attention on combating hesitancy to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Association for a Better New York has released a poll of New York City residents that shows that while 57% of those polled would take the vaccine as soon as it’s offered, another 42% still have some degree of reluctance.

That means ABNY has work to do, its chairman, Steven Rubenstein, told The Point. For the business group, vaccination is key to restarting the city’s economic engine.

It’s "undeniable" that "vaccine adoption is good for the health of the citizens and the health of the economy," Rubenstein said.

So, ABNY hopes to return to a strategy it used during the Census, when it created a network of hundreds of community-based organizations and service providers to help count city residents.

This time around, those same organizations can communicate with residents, respond to any fears, and encourage neighborhood residents to take the vaccine, according to ABNY chief executive Melva Miller. The association also plans to share the poll results with city and state elected officials, to work on public awareness campaigns and more.

But ABNY’s work goes beyond the city borders. The association already shared the poll results with its sister organization, the Association for a Better Long Island, which represents the region’s real estate developers and other business leaders. And ABLI executive director Kyle Strober said the polling showed it’s crucial to "make people feel more comfortable" with the vaccine.

"It’s important that all groups on Long Island work to educate the public and increase the population that’s vaccinated so we reach that herd immunity," Strober told The Point. "I think our role is getting the information and disseminating it to our members and tenants and communities. Any way we can participate, we will."

ABNY’s poll showed that just 4% of those who responded would outright refuse the vaccine, while 14% were "unsure" whether they’d take the vaccine. Others, however, simply want to wait to see people they know take the vaccine successfully.

That, Rubenstein said, bodes well, since it means more people just need reassurance, as opposed to refusing the vaccine altogether.

But ABNY’s results also showed the group will have more work to do in certain neighborhoods, and among certain populations across the city. A higher percentage of people in Queens and Staten Island are unsure whether they’d take the vaccine, as compared with the other boroughs.

What’s more, 8% of Black residents said they’d refuse the vaccine — four times greater than the number of white or Asian residents. A staggering 80% of Black respondents said their concerns over the effectiveness of the vaccine were significant or somewhat significant, and nearly 80% said they were concerned about potential side effects.

Despite the work that will be needed to get people on board, Rubenstein said the vaccine helps to make him hopeful that the economy will rebound in the months ahead.

"I’m bullish on the later half of the year," Rubenstein said. "It’s been a very hard time for people but I believe it’s going to get better."

—Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall