Testimony for State Legislative Budget Hearing: Health
February 11, 2025
EdTrust-New York is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to educational equity. We work to attain educational justice through research, policy, and advocacy that results in all students – especially those from low-income backgrounds or students of color, and particularly Black, Latinx, and Native American students – achieving at high levels from early childhood through college completion. Thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony for this hearing.
EdTrust–New York coordinates the Raising NY coalition, a diverse statewide coalition of parent, early childhood, education, business, and health organizations dedicated to supporting the learning potential of all children, with a focus on improving long-term outcomes for infants and toddlers who are children of color, from low-income backgrounds, and other under-served groups. The health sector is a critical conduit of the wellness and health of infants and toddlers. A large focus of our agenda is equitable and timely access to Early Intervention services, continuous Medicaid coverage for mothers and young children, and increased access to home visiting programs.
Early Intervention (EI)
The first three years of life are an especially critical period of growth and brain development and a time when specialized therapies – such as those identified through EI – can have the most impact for children with developmental delays or disabilities. State Comptroller DiNapoli’s office recently completed an audit of our state’s EI program and found significant racial disparities in who was receiving services. The report revealed that White children overall were referred at an earlier age than other children, and Black children were less likely to receive to receive their prescribed services within the legally binding timeframe.
New York State must act immediately to address these unacceptable disparities. We offer the following recommendations to ensure all families have equitable access to timely, high-quality EI services:
1) Increase reimbursement rates for providers by 5%
Since 2019, nearly 2,000 EI therapists have left the field, and 65 EI agencies have closed. While last year’s Enacted Budget included a 5% reimbursement rate increase—an important first step in stabilizing the EI workforce—that increase has yet to be implemented. The Department of Health (DOH) did not submit the State Plan Amendment (SPA) for the increase until December 2024, more than eight months after it was approved. As a result, the rate increase will only be retroactive to October 2024. We urge the State to fulfill its commitment by covering the full cost of the rate increase from April to December as promised to providers.
In addition, the SPA includes an unexpected and significant reduction in telehealth rates—22% in NYC, Westchester, Poughkeepsie, and Long Island, and 10% across the rest of the state—which both reduces the availability of telehealth for families and is disruptive to providers expecting to be paid according to previous rates.
Furthermore, there has been no mention of the 4% modifier for rural and underserved areas that was approved last year, nor is it included in this year’s Executive Budget. We strongly urge you to fund this modifier to help stem the loss of rural providers.
We also ask that you increase reimbursement rates by an additional 5% beyond last year’s adjustment, as a critical step toward providing livable wages for providers that have not received a pay increase in decades. (Last year’s total budget request was for 11%.)
2) Reform the methodology for EI
New York State should conduct a rate reform study to determine the true cost of EI services and ensure that reimbursement rates accurately reflect the costs of evaluations, services, and service coordination. Without this data, the State will continue funding a program based on outdated and inaccurate methodologies, driving providers out of the field and leaving children without essential services. We recommend allocating $1 million in the 2025 budget to support this study.
3) Create a student loan forgiveness program
Loan forgiveness is a vital tool for attracting new EI providers, supporting existing therapists, and ensuring economic stability for this essential workforce—especially those serving high-need areas. As providers continue to leave the field at unprecedented rates, investing in loan forgiveness is crucial to rebuilding and sustaining the workforce for the long term. A $2–$3 million investment would bring parity with loan forgiveness programs available to nurses.
Maternal and Infant Health
Access to high-quality maternal health and pediatric primary care is essential for supporting the well-being of mothers and young children—especially Black mothers, who are five times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women in New York State. While certain proposals in the Executive Budget, including the continuation of the Medicaid 1115 waiver amendment, the proposed new Social Care Networks, and the new Health Equity Regional Organization (HERO) program, are a positive step toward addressing this crisis, additional investments and stronger connections are needed to ensure comprehensive and equitable care. We offer the following recommendations to ensure that all New Yorkers have equitable access to high-quality maternal and infant health services.
1) Increase funding for the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) home visiting program
Evidence-based maternal and infant home visiting programs connect expectant and new parents with community-based resources that support critical development and attachment during the prenatal and postnatal periods. While some home visiting programs, like ParentChild+ and Healthy Families NY, are positioned within the human services budget, the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) falls under health. Current investments do not fully cover the cost of services, so to address funding shortfalls, we request an increase in NFP funding from $3 million to $4.5 million, with $1 million allocated solely to maintaining vital services in Western NY.
2) Expand outreach about the Baby2Baby program
The introduction of the Baby2Baby newborn baby box program is a positive step to support families and infants. Its impact, however, could be significantly enhanced by pairing it with one-on-one support through expanded access to existing home visiting programs. A universal, statewide approach would ensure that families receive the guidance they need. Relying solely on hospitals and birthing centers for distribution risks the information being overlooked by overwhelmed new parents. We have spoken to the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) and look forward to collaborating with them and others to explore expanding outreach efforts through home visiting programs and pediatric offices.
3) Expand funding for local nutrition services to support WIC expansion
We are encouraged by Governor Hochul’s proposal to expand WIC to reach an additional 30,000 people—bringing the total to 475,000—and to cross-check WIC and SNAP enrollment rosters to ensure eligible individuals are enrolled in both programs. We will continue working closely with the Governor’s team to support and promote equitable access to these critical programs, building on the findings of EdTrust-NY’s From Barriers to Opportunity report, which highlights the challenges families face in accessing poverty-reduction and early childhood programs such as child care subsidies, WIC, SNAP, and voluntary home visiting.
To ensure local agencies can meet the needs of both current and newly enrolled WIC participants, we urge support for the proposal from our partners at Hunger Solutions, which calls for an additional $15–$20 million in funding for local nutrition services. This investment is essential to expanding access and ensuring all eligible families receive the support they need.
4) Increase funding for Universal Income Programs
We strongly support the establishment of the Birth Allowance for Beginning Year (BABY) benefit, the nation’s first baby allowance program. This groundbreaking initiative—positioned within human services but highly relevant here—will provide $100 per month during pregnancy and an additional $1,200 at birth to help give babies the strongest start possible. This is a significant step forward, and we will continue working alongside our partners to advocate for an increase in the allowance and an extension through 18 months postpartum.
EdTrust–New York remains committed to championing the health and well-being of all children and families. We appreciate the opportunity to submit testimony and provide data-driven recommendations that support the health and wellness of young children and mothers.