Situation Report | August 16, 2021
In a live broadcast on August 10, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation from office, effective August 25.
He will be succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul who is set to complete the Governor’s current third term, running through 2022.
Last week’s stunning announcement followed the release of an Attorney General (AG) report alleging sexual harassment charges against the Governor, a growing chorus of elected officials calling for the Governor’s resignation, the initiation of impeachment proceedings in the Assembly, and the resignation of Governor Cuomo’s top aide Melissa DeRosa, among many other major developments in the aftermath of the AG’s report.
The Governor’s planned resignation sends ripple effects throughout state government, beginning a process of transition that HCA will be following very closely, from the Governor’s office to the various state agencies and leadership levels of jurisdiction over health care organizations and employers.
In a press conference on August 11, the Lieutenant Governor told reporters that “nobody named in that [AG] report doing anything unethical will remain in my administration,” signaling more changes to come.
As of the Situation Report editorial deadline late Friday, at least one other top official (in addition to DeRosa) announced her resignation: Department of Financial Services Superintendent Linda Lacewell.
Assembly Suspends Impeachment Proceedings
Much speculation has centered on whether the Assembly would move forward with its impeachment proceedings now that the Governor is voluntarily removing himself from office. In an apparent answer to that question, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced in a statement late Friday that those proceedings would be suspended “upon the governor’s resignation taking effect on August 25.”
What This Means for HCA Members
The implications for home care, hospice, and Managed Long Term Care organizations are no doubt going to be profound, though not altogether clear until the transition process settles in the coming days.
HCA is watching closely the prospect of further movements within the Administration. These changes could greatly impact the timetable or progression of major Executive and Health Department-level initiatives that remain pending. Among those are: the Fiscal Intermediary (FI) and Licensed Home Care Services Agency (LHCSA) Request for Offers (RFO) processes, pending waiver changes affecting personal care services, the still-undefined distribution of at least $1.6 billion in enhanced federal matching dollars for Medicaid home and community-based services, and much more.
The change in administration also comes at a time when the Governor would otherwise already be planning for the upcoming State-of-the-State and budget season, possibly setting these milestones in a new direction.
HCA remains steadfast in our advocacy agenda and will begin to work with the incoming Hochul administration on our priorities as this transition unfolds, including HCA’s continued efforts to alter the course of the LHCSA and FI RFOs while advancing a Home Care First agenda of support for the home care provider and workforce infrastructure.
Please stay tuned for further updates as we learn more about this fast-developing situation.