Medicaid listings are on the rise as 8 million New Yorkers receive insurance at an expected record price of nearly $35 billion.

This is becoming Medicaid for many.

The number of New Yorkers receiving publicly funded Medicaid health insurance is expected to rise to nearly 8 million this year, according to data released from Governor Hole’s $227 billion budget plan.

Another 3.7 million of New Yorkers’ 19 million are eligible for Medicare, public health insurance for the elderly. Some older residents are also eligible for Medicaid, which covers long-term care costs such as nursing home expenses.

Excluding those on Medicare only, the number of residents enrolled in New York City’s public health insurance system reaches 9 million when other programs are included that cover those not eligible for Medicaid, including asylum seekers and other irregular migrants. , as well as those whose incomes are slightly higher. Medicaid threshold.

Medicaid listings have skyrocketed over the past decade.

In New York, the Affordable Care Act, better known as ObamaCare, has been used to get more people on Medicaid and reduce the number of uninsured residents. The number of Medicaid members jumped from 5.2 million in 2012 to over 6 million by 2019.

And during the pandemic, job losses and unemployment caused an even bigger spike in Medicaid, to 6.8 million in 2020, 7.3 million in 2021, and almost 7.8 million by December 2022.

The impact of the pandemic and the state’s ever-increasing, aging population are placing a huge financial strain on Medicaid programs, which have seen total spending rise to $94.4 billion, Hohula’s budget plan says.

The costs are shared between the federal, state and local governments. New York City’s value will reach a record $34.7 billion – nearly double what it was ten years ago – in the fiscal year starting in April.

According to the state, the median annual cost per member is $9,531, more than $1,600 more than in 2017.

“The budget reflects more than $1.6 billion in new spending associated with Medicaid enrollment estimates, higher than previous projections,” Hochul’s budget analysis said.

The federal government has poured billions into states to help cover the unemployed who enrolled in Medicaid and other public health insurance, but some of that emergency aid will dry up, Hohul’s budget guide notes.

“Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, Medicaid enrollment is projected to reach an all-time high of nearly 7.9 million in June 2023 and then decline over the next 12 months as the number of COVID participants,” Hochul’s budget plan says.

“More than 9 million people will need to be re-evaluated for the state’s various public health insurance programs. Uncertainty about future Medicaid enrollment jeopardizes Medicaid spending in future fiscal years.”

Another problem is the aging population of New York.

“The state’s population is aging, leading to a significant increase in the Medicaid program, as the costs for those in need of long-term care are ten times higher than the average Medicaid participant,” Hochul’s spending plan says.

In addition, the influx of poor migrants or asylum seekers coming here “could result in additional costs to the state,” the governor’s plan says. Her proposed budget proposes to pay New York City one-third of the estimated $1 billion to address the migrant crisis.

Her spending plan also increases Medicaid reimbursement rates by 5% for hospitals, nursing homes and caregivers.

One health expert said the number of Medicaid enrollees has ballooned because the federal government has suspended its typical screenings during the pandemic.

“There’s a certain amount of waste going on,” said Bill Hammond, senior fellow for health policy at the Empire Public Policy Center.

Hammond said Hochul was “stepping on the gas” instead of trying to limit Medicaid spending.

“Medicaid should be a social safety net. It shouldn’t have that many people. We have too many people in Medicaid who should be in a commercial health plan. [through their employer],” He said.

In a budget briefing, Hochul acknowledges that the Medicaid program “continues to grow beyond indexed growth, further complicated by Medicaid enrollment, which is expected to no longer return to pre-pandemic levels.”

But she also defends the program’s spending as providing “an important investment to meet the needs of vulnerable New Yorkers, stabilize health care delivery, and improve health outcomes.”

Hochul says Medicaid is doing well so far, but warns that “in the long term … Medicaid spending will need to be further reformed to bring it in line with allowable growth while still meeting the needs of vulnerable New Yorkers.”