ALL RIGHT.

STAYING AT THE CAPITOL NOW, WE TOLD YOU LAST WEEK ABOUT GOVERNOR HOCHUL'S PROPOSAL TO RAISE TAXES ON CIGARETTES AND BAN MENTHOL-FLAVORED TOBACCO.

JUST A QUICK RECAP, THE TAX ON THAT PROPOSAL, THE TAX ON A PACK OF CIGARETTES WOULD GO UP A DOLLAR TO $5.35, AND LAST WEEK, WE TOLD YOU ABOUT HOW CONVENIENCE STORES ARE AGAINST THAT BECAUSE IT WOULD CUT INTO THEIR REVENUE.

THIS WEEK, WE SPOKE TO SUPPORTERS OF HOCHUL'S PROPOSAL.

LIKE HOCHUL, THEY SAY THAT RAISING THE CIGARETTE TAX AND BANNING MENTHOL WILL GET MORE PEOPLE TO STOP SMOKING AND THAT HAS WORKED BEFORE IN NEW 10 YORK.

THAT WAS TWO DECADES AGO WHEN NEW YORK CITY INCREASED THE LOCAL TAX ON CIGARETTES.

AT THE TIME, THE TAX HAD GONE FROM 8 CENTS PER PACK TO $1.50, AND AT THE SAME TIME, THE STATE HAD ALSO BANNED SMOKING IN THE WORKPLACE.

SO BY 2004, ACCORDING TO THE U.S. CDC, NEARLY 200,000 PEOPLE IN NEW YORK CITY HAD STOPPED SMOKING.

AND ACCORDING TO A SURVEY DONE BY THE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE HIGHER TAX WAS A BIG PART OF THAT.

NEARLY HALF OF THOSE ASKED, ABOUT 45% SAID IT WAS THE HIGHER TAX THAT DROVE THEM TO QUIT, OR AT LEAST TRY.

AND SUPPORTERS SAY HOCHUL'S PROPOSAL WOULD DO THE SAME AND REVERSE DECADES OF TARGETING TOWARD BLACK NEW YORKERS.

SHANEQUA CHARLES IS ONE OF THOSE SUPPORTERS.

SHE LOST HER MOTHER TO SMOKING-RELATED ILLNESS.

<b > WE KNOW THAT IT'S INTENTIONAL.

WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE TARGETING US.

WE KNOW THAT YOU DON'T MEAN US ANY GOOD.

SO THIS IS WHY TODAY, HERE, ON THIS THESE PROPERTY AND THIS LOCATION IN ALBANY WE ARE SAYING THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE.

WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL HAVE THE COURAGE TO STAND UP.

<b > MORE ON THAT IN THE COMING WEEKS AS THE STATE BUDGET COMES TOGETHER, BUT FIRST, WE TOLD YOU BUT TURNING NOW TO NEW YORK BY THE NUMBERS, WHERE WE TELL YOU ABOUT SOMETHING OUT OF ALBANY USING A NUMBER.

THIS WEEK, THAT NUMBER IS 38.

REMEMBER THAT.

WE'RE ACTUALLY USING THAT NUMBER TO FOLLOW UP ON A SEGMENT FROM A FEW WEEKS AGO.

LONG STORY SHORT, THREE YEARS AGO, STATE CREATED A PLAN FOR CUTTING COSTS IN MEDICAID AND PART OF THAT PLAN THAT TAKES EFFECT APRIL 1st WOULD CHANGE HOW MEDICAID PAYS FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.

NEW YORK IS MOVING THAT TO A FEE-FOR-SERVICE MODEL CALLED NYRX.

BUT WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN?

BASICALLY, IT ALLOWS THE STATE TO NEGOTIATE DRUG PRICES AND THAT COULD SAVE THE STATE MONEY, WHICH IS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE CHANGE.

IT WOULD ALSO ALLOW MEDICAID RECIPIENTS TO USE MORE PHARMACIES, WHICH IS SUPER IMPORTANT IN RURAL AREAS, WHERE 17 HEALTH CARE CAN BE REALLY HARD TO FIND AND PHARMACISTS WANT THE CHANGE.

BECAUSE ALLOWING THE STATE TO NEGOTIATE DRUG PRICES DIRECTLY RATHER THAN GOING THROUGH SO-CALLED PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGERS WILL ACTUALLY PUT MORE MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS THROUGH HIGHER REIMBURSEMENT RATES.

THAT BRINGS US TO THE NUMBER 38.

STEVE MOORE IS A PHARMACIST FROM PLATTSBURGH WHO SAYS THE MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT RATES UNDER THE CURRENT MODEL JUST DON'T CUT IT.

<b > SO ON AVERAGE, WE'RE GETTING A 50 CENT DISPENSING FEE.

I WROTE A PRESCRIPTION THE OTHER DAY THAT WAS REIMBURSED AT 38 CENTS TOTAL, 30-DAY SUPPLY OF MEDICATION FOR THE PATIENT'S MEDICATION AND IT WAS 38 CENTS.

ALSO IT'S TOUGH.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT RISING MINIMUM WAGE AND YOU KNOW, DO YOU REALLY WANT YOUR PHARMACY EMPLOYEES TO BE MINIMUM WAGE EMPLOYEES?

<b > BUT ONE SIDE EFFECT OF THE CHANGE THAT WE TOLD YOU ABOUT A FEW WEEKS AGO IS THAT IT WOULD CUT OFF CERTAIN SAFETY NET FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS IN A FEDERAL PROGRAM CALLED 340(B), AND THE STATE HAS SAID THEY'LL HOPE THOSE GROUPS BRIDGE THAT GAP BUT THAT'S NOT GUARANTEED.

SO THOSE GROUPS WANT TO STOP THE CHANGE.

WE'LL KNOW MORE WHEN THE STATE BUDGET IS APPROVED, HOPEFULLY AT THE END OF MARCH.

BUT STAYING NOW AT THE STATE CAPITOL, ADVOCATES ARE PUSHING A SHIFT IN STATE GOVERNMENT THAT THEY SAY WOULD DRIVE MORE THAN $2 BILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING INTO THE STATE'S COFFERS.

THAT WOULD HAPPEN THROUGH SOMETHING CALLED 18 DATA MATCHING.

RIGHT NOW, NEW YORK ADMINISTERS CERTAIN SAFETY NET PROGRAMS AND APPROVES PEOPLE BASED ON ELIGIBILITY.

AMONG THOSE PROGRAMS ARE THE MEDICARE SAVINGS PROGRAM, THE HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND SNAP, OR FOOD STAMPS, AND THE THINGS ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS IS THAT THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS ARE PRETTY SIMILAR ACROSS THE BOARD.

SO IF YOU QUALIFY FOR ONE OF THEM, YOU MAY VERY WELL QUALIFY FOR THE OTHERS AS WELL, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT.

SO COALITION OF GROUPS LED BY THE AARP ARE CALLING ON THE STATE TO DO SOMETHING CALLED DATA MATCHING.

WITH THAT, BASICALLY IF SOMEONE'S IN ONE OF THESE PROGRAMS, ADVOCATES SAY, THE STATE COULD PROACTIVELY SEE IF THEY QUALIFY FOR THE OTHER ONES AND LET THEM KNOW.

BETH FINKEL IS THE NEW YORK STATE DIRECTOR AT AARP.

<b > WHY AREN'T WE ACCESSING BENEFITS TO ALL PEOPLE, OLDER ADULTS WHO ARE ELIGIBLE?

THE SHORT ANSWER IS WE CAN AND WE SHOULD.

TAPPING THIS FEDERAL AID WOULD NOT ONLY HELP HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME NEW YORKERS, BUT WOULD ALSO DRIVE MORE MONEY THROUGH ECONOMIC STIMULUS INTO THE STATE COFFERS AND TO HELP US ADDRESS OTHER STATE BUDGET NEEDS.

<b > AND AGAIN, THAT WOULD BE FEDERAL FUNDING NOT STATE.

IN A STATEMENT, THE HOCHUL ADMINISTRATION SAID, QUOTE, NEW YORKER CAN CURRENTLY APPLY FOR MULTIPLE BENEFITS, INCLUDING PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, SNAP, MEDICAID, CHILD CARE AND OTHER SERVICES BY COMPLETING ONE APPLICATION.

FEDERAL REGULAR 19 REGULATIONS STRICTLY LIMIT HOW INFORMATION ON SNAP RECIPIENTS CAN BE SHARED WITH OTHER PROGRAMS BUT WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO SEEKING WAYS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO ALL BENEFITS BY INCREASING COORDINATION AND DATA SHARING AMONG PROGRAMS, END QUOTE.

AND A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SAID THEY'RE REVIEWING THE PROPOSAL.

WE'LL LET YOU KNOW IF ANYTHING CHANGES.