New York's home care crisis is already dire. We need Gov. Kathy Hochul to act
Half-truths and TikTok "facts" don’t win an argument, but those are the weapons in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s arsenal as she attacks the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, or CDPAP. CDPAP gives people with disabilities the freedom to direct their own care in their homes with caregivers they know and trust. Workforce shortages have made it impossible for traditional home care agencies to absorb all the people who need support, and CDPAP fills this gap.
Many hoped for positive change when Hochul took office, but polls show her constituents are losing faith. Like her ousted predecessors, she is bypassing checks and balances, and New Yorkers are tired of big business coming first.
Hochul’s TikTok "research" misleadingly suggests that local businesses, or fiscal intermediaries — FIs, can manipulate eligibility for CDPAP. In reality, Medicaid recipients are assessed by unbiased medical professionals to qualify. FIs provide crucial support, ensuring caregivers meet requirements and are paid on time. Currently, people can choose and switch FIs as needed. Choice is fundamental to CDPAP, so why does the governor want to take it away and create a monopoly?