Did New York Undercount Covid-19 Nursing Home Deaths?

New York state significantly undercounted Covid-19 nursing home deaths in 2020 by excluding residents who died in hospitals. This reporting practice made the state’s mortality ranking appear lower than it was.

Then-Governor Andrew Cuomo repeatedly cited federal data placing New York state 38th or 39th nationally. However, he referenced data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that excluded thousands of hospital deaths. Most other states included both in-facility and hospital deaths in their counts, while New York did not.

A 2021 investigation by the New York Attorney General’s
Office found the state underreported nursing home deaths by more than 50
percent. The Empire Center for Public Policy later confirmed nearly 5,000 additional deaths through a public records request. A 2022 audit by the New York State Comptroller’s Office found the state Department of Health withheld critical data and said its Covid-19 reporting “consistently lacked transparency.”