CM Narcisse questions OMB on Health + Hospitals and FEMA reimbursements

Good morning.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Director, and all your leadership.

Go Knicks.

We can win this.

The city's support.

Serious now.

The city's support to health and hospital relies largely on supplemental Medicaid payment that draw directly down a federal match.

If that match shrinks, does the city have a plan to protect the health care of those who rely on it the most on H&H?

Thank you, Council Member.

We are grateful to have a health and hospitals corporation that is a safety net for so many New Yorkers who need to access health care.

This is something we are focused on to make sure that the hospital system can continue to thrive.

We know that we have been in conversation with the state.

Clearly, a lot of the Medicaid funding flows from the federal government to the state and down to us.

So we need to make sure that whatever the state's plans may be to address what the impacts of HR1 will be, what the trickle-down effects may be on the city, so we know how to fully sustain our health and hospitals system.

Thank you for that.

On FEMA, we are...

The executive plan includes an additional $176.3 million in H&H budget in fiscal 2026 as federal reimbursement for costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How much FEMA COVID reimbursement funding that has H&H received to date?

How much longer do you anticipate H&H to receive this reimbursement funding for?

Is H&H being reimbursed at a sufficient level for the cost it incurred during the pandemic?

Does OMB work directly with FEMA to determine the reimbursement amount H&H is receiving?

So the Health and Hospitals Corporation has closed, FEMA has closed really the vast majority of the city's FEMA COVID portfolio.

Health and Hospitals has received over $2 billion in reimbursement for eligible costs during or against, I should say, FEMA COVID grants.

So, yeah.

I heard the speaker start talking about shelters, but I have one question for you.