Bill Maher Confronts Cuomo on Nursing Home Scandal, Ex-NY Gov Calls Questions 'Monday Morning Quarterbacking'

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faced a tense interview with talk show host Bill Maher, who confronted him on his handling of the nursing home scandal during the COVID pandemic. While Cuomo's resignation in August 2021 was prompted by sexual harassment allegations, his ill-fated policy of ordering nursing homes to accept COVID patients without testing them sparked widespread controversy. Over 4,100 nursing home residents tragically lost their lives as a result.

During an 'Overtime' segment on YouTube, Maher directly asked Cuomo if it was true that he allowed COVID-positive patients from hospitals to be returned to nursing homes without testing them, a move that ProPublica labeled as unique to New York State. Cuomo denied this claim, stating that such a policy would have been contrary to their approach.

Cuomo explained that the decision to transfer medically stable patients from hospitals to nursing homes was driven by the fear of overwhelming the healthcare system with the surge in COVID cases. Nursing homes were only asked to accept patients if they could provide appropriate care and protect other residents. The intention was to free up hospital beds.

Maher pushed back, pointing out that the Cuomo administration had not accurately reported the number of deaths in nursing homes. He suggested that the miscounting may have been deliberate. Cuomo defended himself, stating that the numbers were collected and presented daily during his press briefings. However, he acknowledged that accounting for nursing home residents who died in the hospital was a separate question that took time to audit.

Galloway, an NYU professor, tried to soften the discussion by emphasizing that the early months of the pandemic were filled with uncertainties and misinformation. Both Cuomo and Maher agreed that decisions made during crises like the COVID pandemic sometimes result in unintended consequences, and it is only after the fact that their effectiveness can be truly evaluated.

Cuomo also addressed the issue of hiding data, with allegations that he withheld damning COVID information while publishing his book on leadership during the pandemic. These allegations further added to the controversy surrounding his handling of the nursing home situation.

The interview between Cuomo and Maher highlighted the ongoing debate around the nursing home scandal, offering insights into the motivations behind the decisions made and the challenges government officials faced in managing the crisis.