The Troy Record reports that New York Senator Chuck Schumer and Rep. Paul Tonko recently announced a rule change that will bring increased payments to Upstate New York hospitals from the federal government. Schumer said, “This is one of the biggest shots in the arm for federal funding Upstate NY hospitals have seen in decades. This will be a monumental boost to healthcare for our families and to help our healthcare providers fix budget shortfalls, address doctor and nurse shortages and so much more. For years, our hardworking healthcare providers have faced unfairly low Medicare payments, receiving cents on the dollar for the care they provide, but now after over a decade of fighting I am proud to announce I have secured the rules change which will bring nearly $1 billion every single year to hospitals across Upstate NY.” Tonko explained, "that CMS has at last heeded our call to fix the long-broken Medicare Wage Index formula. This fix to the formula means an influx of hundreds of millions to our local hospitals — long burdened by the added strain from the COVID-19 pandemic — to address staff pay and retention, update medical equipment and technology, and further invest in patient care. In short, this MWI adjustment means improved, quality care for our region." Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson receives $8,228,068 annually from this program. Read more about this story in the Troy Record.