NY governor very concerned about explosive growth in cost of home care workers NBC New York [Video]

A popular Medicaid program that lets elderly and disabled New Yorkers choose their own caregivers has grown exponentially in just a few years, an I-Team analysis has found. Now proposed restrictions to that program are at the center of a fierce battle between Governor Kathy Hochul and state legislators, as they seek to hammer out a budget deal in Albany.

The Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, CDPAP for short, allows individuals to select friends or members of their families to help with tasks like dressing, bathing, meal preparation, and cooking at home.  The personal care aides are then paid with Medicaid funds for the time they spend assisting with those tasks of daily living.

While the ability to choose one’s own home care employee has proven to be a hit with senior citizens and people coping with disabilities, it’s also proven to be increasingly expensive. In just the last five …