Gov. Pataki Vetos Healthcare Reimbursement

SARANAC LAKE - Adirondack Medical Center joins forces to unleash a grassroots campaign to defeat Governor Pataki's $1.3 billion in healthcare vetoes issued last week. These vetoes will significantly decrease funding for hospitals, many nursing homes and emergency rooms, risking critical services and the ability of safety-net facilities to remain open.

      Emergency Room Medicaid reimbursement rates have been the same since early 1990, paying an average of $95 for every $400 it takes to adequately care for an emergent patient. The Governor's vetoes cut nearly $100 million for emergency rooms alone, endangering more hospitals and emergency rooms by forcing staff reductions and possible closures.

      Adirondack Medical Center faces up to $102,000 in emergency service cuts alone. AMC faces another $97,000 in other financial cuts, which will impact many services the hospital provides in fiscal year 2006-2007.

      We are urging our legislators to override the Governor's vetoes and oppose any subsequent effort to impose the Governor's cuts or to undo the progress made on emergency room and nursing home payments. The recent legislative budget raised the Medicaid reimbursement rate for emergency rooms to $150 per visit, the first increase in 16 years.

      According to the Hospital Association of New York State (HANYS), the Governor claims that many of the Legislature's actions on his budget proposal are unconstitutional because lawmakers altered his Executive Budget language, and that he has the right to ignore overrides of his vetoes in such cases. The Legislature believes that it has passed a constitutionally sound budget and that any overrides will stand. Therefore, a court battle may ensue after the Legislature acts to override the Governor.

      "Cutting funding for hospitals, nursing homes and emergency rooms that we all rely on as a matter of life and death is not what any sensible person would call reform," stated Daniel Sisto, HANYS President. "This campaign challenges the Governor's hollow rhetoric of 'responsibility' by talking directly to New Yorkers and revealing the truth about what will really happen to our hospitals and emergency rooms if these vetoes are not overturned."

      According to AMC President & CEO, Chandler Ralph, "The very future of services at the hospital and our two local nursing homes is at stake. We, particularly, cannot possibly sustain the cuts originally proposed by the Governor; they are untenable."

      Adirondack Medical Center urges community members to join in opposing the Governor's health care vetoes by contacting their local state legislators, i.e., Sen. Elizabeth Little (903 LOB, Albany, NY 12247 or little@senate.state.ny.us), Assemblyman Chris Ortloff (450 LOB, Albany, NY 12248 or ortlofc@assembly.state.ny.us), and Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward (633 LOB, Albany, NY 12248 or saywart@assembly.state.ny.us) and asking them to override Gov. Pataki's vetoes. ####

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