Policy Outsider

Across the US, the pandemic hit community colleges hard. Enrollment is down and institutions have reduced staff and payroll. And while

Guest:

Rebecca Natow, fellow, Rockefeller Institute of Government & assistant professor of educational leadership and policy, Hofstra University

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Federal Policy on Community Colleges: Presidential Priorities and Policy Tools

The New York Government Reorganization and Citizen Empowerment Act (the Empowerment Act) made it easier for New York State residents to initiate the dissolution or consolidation of village governments. On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, Rockefeller Institute Fellow and Daemen University Professor Lisa Parshall discusses her new book, In Local Hands, which examines the social, political, and narrative context surrounding municipal reorganization in the state, especially since the Empowerment Act went into effect in 2010. The conversation touches on questions explored in the book: why do village residents support or oppose dissolutions? How do residents initiate reorganizations? And how do dissolutions affect taxes and government services?

Guest:

Lisa Parshall, fellow, Rockefeller Institute of Government & professor, Daemen University

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In Local Hands (SUNY Press) 

A Comparative Look at the Village Dissolution Movement in Ohio and New York: Assessing State-Level Policy Impacts

Is It Time For New York State to Revise Its Village Incorporation Laws?

Dissolving Village Government in New York State

Ep. 12. Power to the People

Many immigrant families and communities face barriers to utilizing social services and integrating into their communities. These challenges exist across healthcare, housing, legal assistance, education, workforce development, and more. On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, New York State Assemblymember Catalina Cruz talks about her experience as an immigrant, as a lawyer, and as a lawmaker, and how these shape her perspective in developing policy to support immigrants. The conversation also covers the knowledge-generating role of the new Institute on Immigrant Integration Research and Policy, which will inform evidence-based integration solutions for policymakers.

Guest:

Honorable Catalina Cruz, New York State Assemblymember

The 2024 election cycle will be the first election where candidates running for statewide office in New York can opt into the state's new small donor public financing program. Laura Ladd Bierman and Erica Smitka of the League of Women Voters of New York join Policy Outsider host Alex Morse to discuss the details of the new program and the history of campaign finance reform in the state. The conversation examines how public financing intends to level the electoral playing field of state elections, increase representation, and reduce the influence of big money in politics. The episode also covers what other reforms can help strengthen elections and make campaign finance more equitable throughout the state.

Guests:

Laura Ladd Bierman, executive director, League of Women Voters of New York

Erica Smitka, deputy director, League of Women Voters of New York

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League of Women Voters of New York

New York State Public Campaign Finance Board

Small Donor Public Financing: A Tool for Empowering New Yorkers in the Age of Citizens United

As part of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) enacted by Congress, Medicaid programs were required to keep individuals continuously enrolled in the program to receive enhanced federal funding (typically, Medicaid requires an annual eligibility renewal). The continuous enrollment requirement was decoupled from the PHE through the Consolidated Appropriations Act (passed in late 2022) and is set to expire on April 1. States have some flexibility in how they "unwind" the automatic, continuous health coverage provisions that have been in place. To help make sense of how New York is approaching the unwind, Rockefeller Institute Senior Fellow for Health Policy Courtney Burke is joined by Amir Bassiri, deputy commissioner and Medicaid director at the New York State Department of Health, Danielle Holahan, executive director of New York State of Health, and Lisa Sbrana, director of the Division of Eligibility and Marketplace Integration at the New York State Department of Health.

Guests:

Courtney Burke, senior fellow for health policy, Rockefeller Institute of Government

Amir Bassiri, deputy commissioner and Medicaid Director, New York State Department of Health

Danielle Holahan, executive director, New York State of Health

Lisa Sbrana, director, Division of Eligibility and Marketplace Integration, New York State Department of Health

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New York State of Health

On February 28, 2023, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases opposing President Biden’s student debt relief plan, which seeks to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt per borrower. Brian Backstrom, director of education policy studies at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, wrote an analysis that detailed how the student debt relief plan made its way to the Supreme Court and previewed the court cases to be heard.

On today’s episode, Brian joins to highlight the arguments presented in the cases, shares how the justices responded to those arguments, and points to what student loan borrowers can expect as the cases move forward.

Guest:

Brian Backstrom, director of education policy studies, Rockefeller Institute of Government 

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SCOTUS To Decide: Is the Biden Administration's Student Debt Cancellation Program Legal?

New York State has the fourth-largest population of older adults in the US, with 3.2 million New Yorkers over the age of 65, a number that is projected to grow to 5.3 million by 2030. Caring for those older New Yorkers is expensive; the state spends more on long-term care services annually ($32 billion) than any other service. To address the needs of the state’s aging population, Governor Kathy Hochul signed Executive Order 23 last fall, which directs the state to develop a Master Plan for Aging.

On today’s episode, Courtney Burke, senior fellow for health policy at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, and Adam Herbst, deputy commissioner for the Office of Aging and Long-term Care at the Department of Health, discuss the process of developing the master plan, the intricate network of government and healthcare systems dedicated to designing this roadmap, and how New York will provide the necessary care and resources to ensure people can age in place.

Guests:

Courtney Burke, senior fellow for health policy, Rockefeller Institute of Government

Adam Herbst, deputy commissioner for the Office of Aging and Long-term Care, Department of Health

In New York, Medicaid provides healthcare for nearly 8 million people and half of all births. With the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting existing health disparities and disrupting the health care system, there is a significant need and opportunity to innovate Medicaid care delivery. On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, we examine how New York is using a Section 1115 waiver to address health equity issues. The State's Acting Medicaid Director, Amir Bassiri, and Rockefeller Institute Senior Fellow for Health Policy Courtney Burke join the show to discuss how the waiver works, the goals the waiver seeks to accomplish, strategies for achieving those goals, and a vision for the future of Medicaid.

Terms

CBO—Community-based Organization

CMS—Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

DSRIP - Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment

MRT - Medicaid Redesign Team

HERO—Health Equity Regional Organization

SDHN—Social Determinant Health Network

VBP - Value-based Payment

Guests:

Courtney Burke, senior fellow for health policy, Rockefeller Institute of Government 

Amir Bassiri, New York acting Medicaid director & deputy commissioner for Office of Health Insurance Programs 

David Anderson, president of NY CREATES, an innovation hub headquartered at the Albany NanoTech Complex, joins Policy Outsider to take us into the workings of the semiconductor industry and offer insight into how New York State’s tightly woven research and economic development tapestry supports and drives advanced technologies and manufacturing.

Guests:

Bob Megna, president, Rockefeller Institute of Government

Dave Anderson, president, NY CREATES

In the fall of 2022, Micron, a leading advanced technology manufacturer, agreed to partner with New York State to build a $100 billion dollar semiconductor fabrication facility in upstate New York. How did this deal come to happen? How did federal and state policy, such as the CHIPS and Science Act and New York’s Green CHIPS Program, work to incentivize Micron to come to New York? And what role did local government partnerships play in the deal?

On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, Kevin Younis, chief operating officer and executive deputy commissioner of Empire State Development and one of the principle architects of the Micron deal, sits down with Rockefeller Institute President Bob Megna to talk about the deal and the critical role of decades of policy in bringing it to fruition.

Guests:

Bob Megna, president, Rockefeller Institute of Government

Kevin Younis, chief operating officer & executive deputy commissioner, Empire State Development