New York state is asking the federal government for a big favor a $17.1 billion favor, to be exact.
The state and federal government split the $54 billion cost of Medicaid, the public health program for low-income and disabled people, but statewide reforms have reduced the projected federal share by billions over the next decade.
As a result, the state is asking for a waiver that would allow New York to keep a large chunk of the federal savings and reinvest it in the Medicaid program.
The waiver request “is not a slam dunk,” said Jason A. Helgerson, the state Medicaid director.
