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Hochul's Home Care Overhaul

Governor Kathy Hochul is overhauling New York’s vast home care system. We’re tracking what happens next — including for hundreds of thousands of low-paid home care workers, whose own health care is on the line.

An insurance claim has first been stamped "approved," but then stamped "denied."
After Criticism, Home Care Employer Will Look for Better Health Insurance

Workers are currently forced to pay for insurance that many don’t want.

Sam Mellins   ·   August 27, 2025
Senator James Skoufis is shown speaking to a group of reporters in a hallway.
‘Complete Waste of Our Time’: Lawmakers Get Few Answers on Home Care Chaos

The company in charge said they would explore other insurance options.

Sam Mellins   ·   August 22, 2025
New York Senator James Skoufis is shown sitting down and speaking into a microphone during a legislative hearing.
New York Lawmakers Are Scrutinizing Home Care. We’ve Got Questions.

With a hearing on New York’s troubled home care program set for Thursday, here are five questions we’d like answered.

Sam Mellins   ·   August 19, 2025
New York’s Health Companies Could Pocket Millions Meant for Low-Wage Care Aides

Offering hard-to-use benefits instead of cash could help two state-funded companies dodge a 2011 law meant to boost care workers’ pay.

Sam Mellins   ·   July 21, 2025
5 Key Takeaways From Our Investigation Into Health Insurer Leading Edge Administrators

The little-known company recently won a huge taxpayer-funded contract. It has a record of not paying doctors and leaving patients on the hook for the bills.

Sam Mellins   ·   June 13, 2025
Robyn Hodgson at a rally in Lancaster, PA.
‘I Thought I Was In-Network’: The Insurance Scheme That Could Leave New Yorkers With Mountains of Debt

A company with a history of lawsuits and unpaid claims is now managing health insurance for thousands of New Yorkers on the taxpayers’ dime.

Sam Mellins   ·   June 12, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Health Execs’ Charity Gave Away Millions. Don’t Ask Where it Went.

The Modim Foundation is tied to a health insurer that will begin providing coverage to thousands of New York’s home health aides in May. It refuses to disclose where its gifts go, in a violation of tax law.

Sam Mellins   ·   May 1, 2025
An insurance claim has first been stamped "approved," but then stamped "denied."
Home Health Aides Are Getting New Insurance Coverage — From a Company With a History of Cutting It Off

Health insurer Leading Edge once tried to cancel a coma patient’s insurance and, in another case, retracted approval for surgery after the bill arrived.

Sam Mellins   ·   April 28, 2025
Governor Kathy Hochul and her health department commissioner James McDonald at a desk
Fraudster-Linked Company Set to Begin Massive Insurance Contract for Home Health Workers

The company used to help employers avoid paying for workers’ benefits. Now it’s slated to administer health insurance for tens of thousands of low-wage New Yorkers.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 20, 2025
State Urges Investigation Into Opponents of Hochul Home Care Plan Following New York Focus Reporting

The health commissioner has asked the state’s Attorney General and lobbyist watchdog to launch a ‘formal inquiry.’

Chris Bragg   ·   February 11, 2025
A person witting in a bed receiving home care. A silhouette of a figure with a question mark over their face holds out a handful of money.
Mystery Donor Funds $10 Million Campaign Against Hochul Home Care Plan

The money is being routed through a nonprofit — possibly running afoul of state lobbying rules.

Chris Bragg   ·   February 4, 2025
Insurance Said His Treatment Was Covered. Then They Sent a $17,000 Bill.

Thousands of New Yorkers have new health insurance from the company Leading Edge Administrators. One Massachusetts retiree’s battle with the company highlights the risks they face.

Sam Mellins   ·   September 17, 2025