2026 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing - Health/ Medicaid
February 10, 2026
9:30AM
Hearing Room B, Legislative Office Building, Albany

Transcript Pending
Testimony
James V. McDonald, M.D., M.P.H.
Commissioner
New York State Department of Health

Amir Bassiri     (Testimony Pending)
Medicaid Director
New York State Department of Health

Kaitlin Asrow
Acting Superintendent
New York State Department of Financial Services

Bea Grause, RN, JD
President
Healthcare Association of NYS (HANYS)

Elizabeth Wynn
Executive Vice President of Health Economics & Finance
Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA)

Helen Schaub
Political Director
1199SEIU

Misha Sharp
Assistant Director of Policy
32BJ Benefit Funds

Leon Bell
Director of Public Policy
New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA)

Aamir Mansoor
Director of Policy
Primary Care Development Corporation

Mia Wagner
Director of Health Policy
Health Care For All New York

Eric Linzer
President & CEO
New York Health Plan Association

Lara Kassel
Coalition Coordinator
Medicaid Matters New York

Bill Gustafson
NYS Director of Government Relations
Alzheimer’s Association

Bill Hammond
Senior Fellow
Empire Center for Public Policy

Sebrina Barrett
President & CEO
LeadingAge New York

Heidi Bond
President
NYS Association of County Health Officials

David Sandman
President & CEO
New York Health Foundation

Rose Duhan
President & CEO
Community Health Care Association of New York State (CHCANYS)

David Jakubowicz, MD
President
Medical Society of the State of New York

Jonathan Teyan
President & CEO 2
Associated Medical Schools of New York

Jeff Kaczorowski, MD
NYS Chair and Leader
American Academy of Pediatrics

Cameron Brown
Medical Indemnity Fund Parent

Denise Olivo
Medical Indemnity Fund Parent

Mariel Fernandez, M.S.
BCBA LBA
Council of Autism Service Providers

Traci Allen
Executive Director
The Alliance of TBI & NHTD Waiver Providers, Inc.

Tarrah Quinlan
Senior Director
NYS Health Facilities Association (NYSHFA)

Chris Vitale
Legislative Coordinator
Empire State Association of Assisted Living

Ilana Berger
Director
New York Caring Majority

Al Cardillo
President & CEO
Home Care Association of New York State

Natash Pernicka
Executive Director
The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York

Kathleen Stress
Executive Director
Feeding New York State

Jerome Nathaniel
Director, Policy & Government Relations
City Harvest

Michael Davoli
Senior Government Relations Director
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)

Jeanne M. Chirico
President & CEO
Hospice and Palliative Care Association of NYS

Virginia Shubert
Co-Founder & Senior Advisor, Policy & Research
Housing Works

Michael Duteau
President
Community Pharmacy Association of NYS

Victor Roy, MD PhD
Assistant Professor
University of Pennsylvania

Christopher J. Morten
Associate Professor of Law
New York University School of Law

Max Goldberg
New York Chapter Leader 4
T1International #insulin4all

Written Testimony
Adirondack Food System Network

Agencies for Children’s Therapy Services (ACTS)

American Heart Association

Andrew Callaghan

Assurgent Medical Staffing

Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS)

Cato Institute

Children’s Defense Fund

CompHealth

Coalition of Medication-Assisted Treatment Providers and Advocates (COMPA)

Coalition of New York State Health Homes

Community Voices for Health System Accountability

Dave Chokshi M.D., MSc.

Downstate New York ADAPT

Emily Smith

Epic Staffing Group

Fusion Healthcare Staffing, LLC

GHR Healthcare, LLC

Hannah Apperson

Health Care for All New York (HCFANY)

Health Plan Association (HPA)

Iroquois Healthcare Alliance

iHealth NYS

Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley

Insulin Rationing Persists Despite Policy Changes

Jack McNelis

Kevin M. Byrne - Putnam County Executive

Latavia Sturdivant

Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York (LRANY)

Locum Tenens, Elite365 Healthcare Workforce Solutions & Wilderness Medical Staffing

Mackenzie OConnell

Madison Flynn

Maeve Graham

Maija Salo

MD Staff Pointe

Medically fragile providers

MJ Moore

Michael Santos

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office

MPLT Healthcare

Natera Genetics

New York American College of Emergency Physicians (New York ACEP)

New York Association on Independent Living (NYAIL)

NEWYORKBIO

New York Section American Water Works Association (NYSAWWA)

New York Staffing Association (NYSA)

New York State Area Health Education Center (NYS AHEC)

New York State Association for Behavior Analysis (NYSABA)

New York State Association of Health Care Providers, Inc. (HCP)

New York State Association of Counties and the New York State County Executives’ Association

New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare

New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists

New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NYSSLHA)

Nick Pacitto

Northeast Medical Equipment Providers Association

Nurse Practitioner Association New York State (“NPA”)

Pacific Companies (PCI)

Patrick Sudnikovich

PHI

PMI US Corporate Services

Remede Consulting Group, Inc.

Royal Surgical Associates LLC

Ryan Harris

SNAP4ALL

Sophia Lopukhin

Stop Abuse Campaign

Surfrider Foundation

Tandym

United New York Ambulance Network (UNYAN)

University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC)

VISTA Staffing Solutions

Weatherby Healthcare

WelbeHealth