GNYHA/1199 SEIU HEALTHCARE EDUCATION PROJECT STATEMENT ON ASSEMBLY BUDGET RESOLUTION

Kenneth E. Raske, President, Greater New York Hospital Association
George Gresham, President, 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East

The New York State Assembly has long been deeply committed to ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to quality health care. That commitment was demonstrated once again today with the release of an Assembly budget resolution that rejects a funding cut associated with hospital re-admissions, restores critical charity care funding, and accepts a proposal enabling public hospitals to access critically important Federal funds. The resolution also eliminates a damaging “regional pricing” proposal for nursing homes that would greatly harm quality care.

In short, the Assembly budget resolution is a significant improvement over Governor Paterson’s budget proposal, and we commend Speaker Silver and his conference.

But the Assembly resolution is not without pain, including still significant charity care cuts and tax increases on hospitals, nursing homes, and home health providers that would severely harm the financially struggling health care community and the New Yorkers they serve.

More work needs to be done to protect New York’s health care community from irreparable harm, and we look forward to continuing to work with Speaker Silver and his conference in the days to come.

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With 350,000 members in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and Washington D.C., 1199 SEIU is the largest and fastest growing healthcare union in the country. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all.