On September 20, Lt. Governor Richard Ravitch (D) released a report outlining proposed changes to improve the efficiency of the state’s Medicaid program.  Lt. Governor Ravitch recommends limiting malpractice awards, centralizing the state and county Medicaid administrative systems, and utilizing managed care for dual eligibles. 

From the report:

The State of New York faces growing budget gaps in the next several years, and a chief source of pressure on the State budget is the growth in Medicaid costs. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that pays the health care costs of lower income individuals. The federal government reimburses the states for a certain percentage of their Medicaid expenditures and imposes its own rules on those expenditures. Medicaid is not Medicare, though the two programs overlap.

Full Report: Controlling Increases in the Cost of New York Medicaid (PDF | 2.12 MB) 

State of New York Executive Chamber. (2010). Controlling increases in the cost of New Yorok Medicaid. Ravitch, R.