Kathy Hochul on Healthcare

Kathy Hochul is a strong advocate for comprehensive healthcare system improvement in New York, focusing efforts on stabilizing safety net hospitals, bolstering the workforce, and controlling consumer costs. Her administration has enacted historic investments, including significant Medicaid rate increases and launching the Health Care Safety Net Transformation Program, which provides billions in capital and operating dollars to encourage vital partnerships between safety net institutions and health care organizations. These efforts aim to ensure access to high-quality care, particularly for vulnerable populations across all geographic areas of the state.

Furthermore, she is addressing systemic issues by proposing legislation to expand the scope of practice for various health care workers, which is intended to alleviate staffing shortages and improve timely patient access to services. She also directs efforts to reduce healthcare expenses through measures like leveraging state purchasing power to negotiate better drug costs and reforming prior authorization processes to reduce administrative burdens on providers. Initiatives like the Healthcare Workers for Our Future Scholarship Program target workforce needs by funding students committed to serving in underserved communities post-graduation.