Congressman Tom Reed is supportive of an amendment to the American Health Care Act (AHCA) that would lessen the property tax burden across upstate New York. The changes would prevent the State of New York from forcing county governments to pay for a portion of the state’s share of Medicaid.
“This is a critical amendment that will result in many members supporting the AHCA. We worked as tirelessly as a delegation to make this happen,” Reed stated.
The delegation has been discussing this issue since November of 2016. Once Congressman Faso was elected he took the lead and the delegation met on a regular basis. After discussing the need for this amendment, the delegation approached the White House and Energy and Commerce Chairman Walden to make sure this was a priority in the AHCA.
“Credit must to be given to John Faso for his leadership role. He brought this to us as a legacy issue from his time in Albany as an elected official. Faso was very proactive and creative in pushing this item for the local property tax payers from the region. We all came together as a delegation to get this done, but credit also goes to Collins as the New York representative of the committee of jurisdiction, Energy and Commerce,” Reed added.
Some counties are dedicating nearly 70 percent of their tax dollars toward the portion of Medicaid they are forced to fund. This amendment would in effect lessen the taxes that local residents would have to pay.
See what some local leaders are saying on Reed’s work:
“Allegany County spends over $10 Million on Medicaid and the cost of Medicaid to county taxpayers continues to rise. When Congressman Reed and the federal government remove this burden, it will relieve the single biggest unfunded mandate on Allegany County taxpayers.” – Curt Crandall, Chair Allegany County Legislature
“New York State’s counties are asked to carry a level of Medicaid costs that no other state asks of its counties. I fully support removing this mandate from our county taxpayers. I thank Congressman Reed for standing up for Schuyler County.” – Dennis Fagan, Chair, Schuyler County Legislature
"Chautauqua County’s local share of Medicaid is almost 50 percent of the county's tax levy. That means 50 cents of every dollar paid in property tax goes to Medicaid. The Medicaid program in New York State is the largest, most costly program in the nation. The size and scope of it is controlled entirely in Albany. So taking that burden off of the shoulders of local property tax payers will not only help to bring needed relief, it may also bring some needed attention in Albany to make true reforms,” - George Borrello, Chautauqua County Legislator
“I want to thank Rep. Tom Reed for working for this change. New York State forcing the counties to cover so much of Medicaid has been unfair. Relief from this burden would be a huge benefit to Tioga County taxpayers.” – Martha Sauerbrey, Chair, Tioga County Legislature
“You can live in your house your whole life and then suddenly find out in retirement after working your whole life that you can no longer afford to pay your property taxes. It’s just not fair.” – Ethel Peters, Ontario County Resident
More details on this issue can be seen here.
