Mystery Donor Funds $10 Million Campaign Against Hochul Home Care Plan
Fighting Waste and Fraud
Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing fierce opposition to her overhaul of a popular but pricey home care program that allows people with chronic medical issues to choose their own caregivers and pay them through Medicaid.
The Alliance to Protect Home Care, a social welfare nonprofit, has blitzed the airwaves with TV ads alleging that Hochul’s plan, which charges a single company with running the multibillion-dollar program, puts "lives at risk." The group spent $10.6 million last year on a public relations campaign criticizing the move — the second-highest-spending lobbying campaign in Albany that year.
Disclosure Required
Under current state law, any organization that spends more than $15,000 in a year lobbying the New York government must disclose every donor who provided more than $2,500. However, the Alliance to Protect Home Care received $10.6 million in donations from a separate nonprofit, United CDPAP, which is incorporated in Delaware and New York, with David Lobl, a political consultant and former aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo, listed as its registered agent.
A Mysterious Nonprofit
According to lobbying reports, United CDPAP has donated to the Alliance 32 times for a total of nearly $10.6 million. However, it is unclear who is donating to United CDPAP, and therefore indirectly funding the Alliance.
The state lobbying regulator at the time, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, responded by adopting regulations banning groups from using an intermediary or any other entity that "obscures" the name of the person or entity "actually making" a lobbying contribution.
Other Public Records
Besides the $10.6 million in donations to the Alliance, there is at least one other public record of United CDPAP — and it also involves lobbying spending. In late November, United CDPAP hired Joseph Crowley — a once-powerful member of Congress from Queens — to lobby the federal government on health care issues. Through year’s end, the firm where he works, Dentons US LLP, had been paid $20,000, according to federal lobbying records.
The Alliance’s Response
Bryan O’Malley, the executive director of the Alliance, said that United CDPAP was a nonprofit social welfare organization that "supports this mission," but he did not offer more details or address why the millions were routed to the Alliance through another nonprofit.
Conclusion
The Alliance’s spending and the lack of transparency in their funding raise questions about who is really behind the campaign against Hochul’s home care plan. While the Alliance claims to be fighting to protect quality home care for seniors and disabled residents, their opaque funding practices have sparked concerns about the use of pass-through entities to obscure the identity of their donors.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is behind the Alliance to Protect Home Care?
- Why is the Alliance receiving donations from a separate nonprofit, United CDPAP?
- What is the purpose of United CDPAP?
- Is the Alliance’s spending compliant with state lobbying regulations?
