Aug. 15, 2025- State lawmakers approved a handful of new health insurance mandates this year, including bills dealing with inhalers and speech therapy, but insurers say these well-intentioned efforts won't result in lower costs. New York Health Plan Association President & CEO Eric Linzer explains how insurers determine what they cover and argues that policymakers should focus on the underlying cost of treatments.
Aug. 15, 2025- The state budget included an additional $400 million to ensure access to child care vouchers, but the increased investment isn't necessarily trickling down to families who need help, according to reporting by New York Focus reporter Julia Rock.
Aug. 14, 2025- In a Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt we hear from Assemblyman Micah Lasher, a Manhattan Democrat, who makes the case for increasing New York's Democrats in Congress by tweaking the congressional boundaries before the next census.
Aug. 14, 2025- In a Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt we check in with Blair Horner, senior policy advisor for the New York Public Interest Research Group, to get his take on efforts to do mid-decade redistricting and consider whether good government groups are losing influence in Albany.
Aug. 14, 2025- A new Siena Research Institute survey of New Yorkers explored the possibility of changing New York's redistricting process, responding to federal spending cuts, and a gubernatorial matchup between Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Elise Stefanik. We break down the results with Siena pollster Steve Greenberg.
Aug. 14, 2025- The Hochul administration is in the process of crafting a plan to guide the conservation of endangered species and habitats for the next decade. We unpack the significance of this plan and what might be missing with Chris Amato, conservation director and counsel for Protect the Adirondacks.
Aug. 12, 2025 - Artificial intelligence is invading New York's political campaigns this year and the burgeoning technology could be even more prevalent in the future, according to Annie McDonough, a senior reporter for City & State New York. This is an excerpt of Dispatches from Planet Albany.
Aug. 12, 2025 - For more than a decade, New York lawmakers have tried to secure a compensation boost for home care workers in the New York City area, but those efforts haven't always resulted in more money in pockets, according to reporting by Sam Mellins, a senior reporter for New York Focus.
Aug. 12, 2025 - New Yorkers prescribed expensive, name-brand drugs may have to try cheaper alternatives before they get what the doctor ordered, as the result of insurance practices. We discuss how this process could be more transparent and have stricter rules with Ashira Vantrees, director of legal strategy and advocacy at Aimed Alliance.
August 11, 2025- New York Attorney General Letitia James is recommending the state narrowly restrict when police can engage in high-speed pursuits. We discuss the risk of police chases with Josh Parker, deputy director of policy for The Policing Project at NYU School of Law.
August 11, 2025- New York is fighting back against federal efforts to access state immigration information and interfere at state courthouses, citing the "sovereign rights" of the state. We explore this argument and its history with Sarah Rogerson, director of the Edward P. Swyer Justice Center at Albany Law School.
August 11, 2025- In light of an endangered sea turtle being released back into the wild this summer, we check in with Rob DiGiovanni Jr., founder and chief scientist for the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, to learn about his organization and the state's role in promoting their work.
August 8, 2025- State Sen. Jake Ashby, a Capital Region Republican who did combat tours overseas with the Army Reserves, talks about increasing services for Purple Heart awardees and reflects on the Trump administration's handling of U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.
August 8, 2025- We go through the agenda items in Albany for New York's nearly 500,000 public sector retirees with Tom Tatun, the recently anointed executive director for the Retired Public Employees Association.
August 8, 2025- Gov. Kathy Hochul is promising affordable and reliable energy from new nuclear power plants, but how achievable is her vision? We get a contrarian take from John Howard, the former head of the New York Public Service Commission.
August 7, 2025- The state's "All-Electric Buildings" mandate will begin to be phased in next year and, while environmental advocates are welcoming the change, the construction industry is continuing to warn about unintended consequences. We discuss the transition with Mike Fazio, executive director of the New York State Builders Association.
August 7, 2025- In the wake of Gov. Kathy Hochul pushing to make it easier for New Yorkers to be involuntarily committed, President Donald Trump issued an executive order designed to promote more forced psychiatric institution of the country's homeless population. We unpack the significance of the action at the federal level, which could also hurt undermine harm reduction efforts in New York, with Patrick Wildes, director of the Government Law Center at Albany Law.
August 7, 2025- Starting in August, the more than 30,000 people incarcerated in New York don't have to pay to make outgoing phone calls. We unpack this policy decision from the Hochul administration, including how it could benefit society, with Bianca Tylek, founder and executive director of Worth Rises.
August 6, 2025- More than 100 marijuana dispensary owners are grappling with the revelation that their approved locations are in violation of a state law as the result of a measuring mix up by the Hochul administration. We consider possible remedies to this situation with Joe Rossi, founder of Modern Advocacy and a cannabis lobbyist, and Joseph Levey, founding partner of Helbraun Levey, a law firm focused on cannabis and hospitality.
August 6, 2025- As we continue to unpack the ramifications of the Big Beautiful Bill adopted by Republicans in Washington D.C., we're turning our attention to what it means for community health centers that serve low-income New Yorkers in medical deserts. Our guest is Rose Duhan, president and CEO of the Community Healthcare Association of New York State.
Aug. 5, 2025 - Shontell Smith, the former political director for Andrew Cuomo's unsuccessful mayoral primary bid in New York City, reflects on what went right and what went wrong during this Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt.
August 5, 2025- School districts have been encouraged by the state to find regional partnerships that might save money and improve operations. We consider what regionalization has looked like in the past and how it could happen in the future with Anita Murphy, a retired superintendent from the Capital Region BOCES, and Brian Backstrom, director of Education Policy Studies at the Rockefeller Institute of Government.
August 5, 2025- New Yorkers will get a chance this fall to bring the expansion and operation of the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports complex in compliance with the state Constitution, while also expanding the footprint of the Adirondack preserve. We hear the case for the constitutional referendum from John Sheehan, director of communication for the Adirondack Council.
August 5, 2025- A United States Supreme Court ruling this summer may give parents more influence over their school curricula if they have religious concerns with subjects and materials. We discuss the majority opinion from the court and its implications with Daniel Morton-Bentley, counsel for the State Education Department.
August 4, 2025- New York's prisons may have rescinded from the headlines, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to discuss about the corrections system with Chris Gelardi, a criminal justice reporter for New York Focus.
August 4, 2025- New York's development of offshore wind has stalled, so state regulators are hitting pause on the hunt for more transmission capacity. We explore the decision by the state Public Service Commission and its ramifications with Ekin Senlet, co-chair of Regulatory Practice area at Barclay Damon, and David Solimeno, an associate with the firm.
August 4, 2025- The administration of non-emergency medical transportation has undergone multiple transformations in the past 15 years as state policymakers look to save money. State Sen. George Borrello, a western New York Republican, argues the simplest answer to preventing fraud and abuse is returning oversight to the counties.
July 31, 2025- New York's effort to cap emissions may have stalled, but the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has entered a new phase, with updated goals adopted this summer. We talk about the program and its role in combatting climate change with Jackson Morris, director of state power sector policy for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
July 31, 2025- As New York pivots away from using Regents exams in order to graduate from high school, the state Board of Regents met this summer to approve an updated pathway to getting a diploma. We hear concerns about implementing this new vision from Jeff Smink, deputy director of The Education Trust-New York.
July 31, 2025- We explore the significance of new prevention agenda adopted by state health officials with our guest Dr. Elizabeth Whalen, medical director for the Office of Public Health at the State Department of Health.
