CHENANGO COUNTY – The county’s Health and Human Services Committee unanimously carried a resolution Tuesday that would offer the county’s official backing of federal legislation aimed at eliminating county shares in Medicaid costs nationwide.

County Department of Social Services Director Bette Osborne said if the bill becomes law, it would relieve $9.2 million of Chenango County’s Medicaid budget. “It would be a tremendous tax relief for the public,” Osborne said.

Under the legislation, a state would not be able to pass along any Medicaid costs to its counties. However, Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s budget calls for a major reorganization of state Medicaid, including significant cuts in the state’s payment share.

The resolution will go to the full Board of Supervisors April 9, and Osborne said other counties are also gathering support for the bill statewide. The legislation is sponsored by North Carolina Congressman G.K. Butterfield and is currently being reviewed in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

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Here are some other outcomes of Tuesday’s Health & Human Services Committee meeting that were approved for either further committee or full board review.