Tioga County’s Legislative Chair Martha Sauerbrey is reminding the county’s residents to give the legislature their feedback on Tioga County’s bussing system. Following recent changes in the mandated Medical Transportation System by the state, Tioga Bus Transportation will no longer be given funding from Medicaid dollars to transport Medicaid patients to non-emergency appointments. For twenty years, Tioga County provided rural transportation with the Medicaid dollars, but now the department of health has contracted a private vendor to manage patient transportation. Without the funding from Medicaid, the cost to the county would be an estimated $370,000 additional dollars to taxpayers, translating to about a 1.7 percent tax increase. Without Medicaid patients, about 200 people per day would use the bus system, 75 of which are commuting to and from work. The legislature does not want to make a decision without reaching out to the citizens of Tioga County, so Sauerbrey and other members of the legislature urge you to contact the legislative office on Main Street in Owego to share your feedback.
