Fiscal Politics Must Not Injure Healthcare

If Governor Pataki’s budget veto of last week stands, Queens County healthcare institutions will not see tens of millions of dollars in needed funds this fiscal year. Funds that our legislators on the local and state level have been fighting to retain because they know our citizens need them. Desperately.
Estimates are that a veto of this budget would cut New York hospital and nursing home funds across the state by a total of $1.3 billion over several years.
The governor vetoed every Medicaid funding restoration passed by the state legislature, as well as all new healthcare spending. The governor’s proposed cuts to the remarkably bi-partisan budget proposal include such quality care basics as keeping nursing homes open and adequately staffed. A major slice of the potential cuts is the impact on Medicaid - the program that is the lifeline to healthcare services for our most vulnerable citizens. Medicaid is administered on a state basis. Therefore, when a state government cuts Medicaid - it triggers automatic cuts in the federal matching program. This not only gives the state an enormous amount of power, but it also gives the state an enormous amount of responsibility to make the right decisions when it matters most. It matters today. Our most vulnerable citizens, and the institutions that serve them, are at risk.
If the cuts take effect for the fiscal year that began April 1, the impact on individuals and institutions will be serious and immediate. Access to care for our elderly, as well as young mothers and families will be further limited - maybe dangerously so. Because of the demographics of Queens, including our aging population, our county is likely to be exposed to far more of the cuts than we can absorb. If this part of the legislature’s budget is not protected and preserved it will certainly affect all institutions, including New York Hospital Queens and our sister extended-care facility, The Silvercrest Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.
While this will limit our resources and affect our ability to grow, we have had contingency plans in place for this worst-case scenario. However, the cuts to hospitals as proposed by the governor may represent the final blow for institutions that are already on the edge. This not only affects some hospitals and nursing homes, it affects the people of Queens and access to quality care here at home. Queens cannot take this kind of hit and serve our people as they need to be served.
The organizations and individuals that represent the healthcare needs of people in New York State, New York City, and Queens County are working hard to make sure that the vetoes are overridden. I ask you to add your voice. The legislature returns to our state capitol on Monday, April 24, and needs to deal with this critical situation. Please let your legislators know that you support the budget that they worked to pass for all of us. Let them know that they have your support to override the Governor’s veto. Let the Governor know it too.
— Stephen S. Mills, FACHE, is President and Chief Executive Officer, New York Hospital Queens