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For Immediate Release: February 20th, 2004 Contact: Contact: Jordan Isenstadt (c) 516.991.3842 (w) 212.490.9535 (f) 212.490.2151 ***PRESS
RELEASE*** Hospitals & Nursing
Homes on the East Side are Estimated to Lose $33 Million from
Governor’s Proposed Budget New York, NY – State Senator Liz Krueger sharply
criticized Governor George Pataki and his proposed Executive Budget today for
cutting significant funds to hospitals and nursing homes throughout New York
State. “The health care institutions
that exist in the East Side and Midtown are some of the finest in the
country,” stated Senator Krueger. “By
slashing funding to these cutting-edge hospitals and nursing homes, the
Governor is proving that he is not truly committed to improving the state of
health care. Furthermore, the
Governor has proposed several other bad ideas that will severely impact
hospitals, such as restoring the ‘sick tax’ and mandating copayment
requirements for Family Health Plus enrollees.” According to the Healthcare Association of New York State
(HANYS), Senator Krueger’s district would suffer a healthcare cut of close to
$33 million dollars. Hospitals in the
26th District would endure cuts of $30.2 million. These hospitals include: Beth Israel
Medical Center (Herbert & Nell Singer Division); Hospital for Special
Surgery; Lenox Hill Hospital; Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital;
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Mount Sinai Medical Center; New York
– Presbyterian Healthcare (including all 4 NY Presbyterian Hospitals); New
York University Hospital (Tisch & Rusk); and Rockefeller University
Hospital. Nursing homes in the district
would also be cut by close to $2.6 million.
These nursing homes would include: DeWitt Rehabilitation & Nursing
Center and Mary Manning Walsh Nursing Home.
HANYS represents more than 550 non-profit and public hospitals,
nursing homes, home care agencies, and other health care organizations throughout
New York State. The “sick tax”, which was repealed by the Legislature
several years ago, is a 0.7% tax on hospital gross receipts. Estimates from the Executive budget show
that the tax would cost hospitals across New York State over $183 million in
the next fiscal year. “It is
absolutely unacceptable to increase taxes on sick New Yorkers,” said Senator
Krueger. “This does not only hurt the
patient, but it also hurts the hospital.” The Executive budget also requires
that Family Health Plus enrollees make copayments ranging from $10-$50 for
basic services. In order to qualify
for Family Health Plus, the enrollee must have an income below $13, 473. It is clear that families with incomes
that low have little disposable income with which to make these copayments. “The real solution to the health care problem is to move
away from a piecemeal approach, and to develop a comprehensive plan for all
our health care needs – prevention, primary care, hospitalization, drugs,
long-term care, and the related essential services,” remarked Senator
Krueger. “I support developing a
single-payer program that recognizes health care as a basic human right. We must move toward the development of a
unified health care policy that is appropriate for the 21st
century. A single-payer plan would be
a major step toward achieving that ambitious goal.” -30- |
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