An Unjust Policy That Cost NYC Millions of Dollars in State Public Health Funding
David R. Jones, La Nueva Mayoria / The New Majority
Our nation’s public health programs are under attack. Since assuming power, President Trump has made it very clear that public health is a major target of his slash-and-burn campaign to decimate federal programs that are essential to protect Americans. His actions have aimed at downsizing the federal workforce and endangering funding, research, and programming that is essential to keep Americans healthy and save lives. And all this is on top of the threats by Republicans in Congress to cut Medicaid, which provides health coverage to nearly half of all New York City residents.
In this context, it seems unthinkable that New York City is the only municipality in the state that doesn’t receive the same level of funding from the state for local public health programs and services conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH). The funding I’m referring to is called Article 6.
The looming federal cuts to Medicaid and other public health programs make Article 6 funding even more critical as they could become an important source of funding for the City’s health department to fill gaps in federal funding.
Article 6 of the Public Health Law provides reimbursement for expenses incurred by local health departments for core public health areas as defined in law. In New York City, Article 6 funding provides a level of supportive funding for the NYCDOHMH to contract with local community-based organizations and health providers with the expertise and capacity to provide preventive, cultural, and linguistically competent services addressing maternal and child health, mental health, communicable diseases such as HIV, viral hepatitis, TB, STIs, substance addiction, chronic diseases like Diabetes, Asthma, Cardiovascular, and much more.
How does Article 6 funding get allocated? Every local health department receives a base grant of $750,000, or $1.30 per capita for larger municipalities like New York City. Municipalities get a 100 percent reimbursement rate for expenses up to the amount of the base grant. Any expenses above the base grant amount are reimbursed at only 36 percent rate, leaving local health departments responsible for 64 percent of the remaining expenses. Except for New York City, which bears a heavier fiscal burden by receiving only a 20 percent reimbursement rate for expenses incurred above its base grant amount.
The question bears asking: Why is New York City solely targeted by this unjust funding scheme?
Under Governor Cuomo’s administration the state decided to reduce the city’s Article 6 match from 36 percent to 20 percent in 2019. The state claimed that the city, unlike other municipalities in the state, receives direct federal funding for some public health services. However, New York City cannot include these federal grants as part of its public health expenditures submitted to the state, so this federal funding is not eligible for Article 6 state reimbursement. In other words, the cut is not filled by federal funds. I think the animosity between Governor Cuomo and then Mayor Bill De Blasio played a much bigger role in this unfortunate decision that results in the loss of up to $90 million in annual funding to address the public health needs of New York City residents.
State Senator Gustavo Rivera and State Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas have introduced legislation (S4801/A2705) to right this wrong and ensure NYC is no longer shortchanged. This effort has the full support of the New York City Council, which recently passed a resolution calling the state to reverse this cut. I urge our leaders in the state legislature and Governor Hochul to include the bill language in this year’s state budget. This is no time to deny New York City the vital resources it deserves to protect our public health infrastructure.