• $1.1 billion in cuts to health care, which means a loss of 34,600 jobs and less access to coverage for low-income children and adults, the elderly and disabled
• $60 million from the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage program — cuts that would drive pharmacies out of the program and make prescription drugs less available to seniors
• a “sick tax” on hospitals, nursing homes and home health care agencies that will cost these providers $429 million and does nothing to address the critical nurse shortage already facing New York’s hospitals

Assemblymember Cahill is working to protect local hospitals and nursing homes
Under the Governor’s new health care cuts and taxes, hospitals and nursing homes in the 101st Assembly District could be out over $1.3 million. Assemblymember Cahill knows the Hudson Valley can’t afford such a devastating cut, and will fight to protect our families’ access to health care.

According to The Healthcare Association of New York State, the following hospitals and nursing homes are a few of the local facilities that will lose funding as a result of the Governor’s cuts — and patient care will suffer:

• Benedictine Hospital — $358,000
• The Kingston Hospital — $409,000
• Ferncliff Nursing Home — $141,000
• Northeast Center for Special Care — $142,000

The Assembly is fighting for local Medicaid relief
While the Governor’s actions over the last 10 years have cost localities over three-quarters of a billion dollars, the Assembly stands ready, once again, to champion an immediate, phased-in takeover of long-term care costs and other new health care costs. In 1994, I sponsored the Assembly plan that would have state assumption of long-term care costs in just two years. In one of his first acts as Governor in 1995, George Pataki reversed that direction, and as a result, localities lost over $505 million. While in 1999, the Assembly stood for full state funding of the Family Health Plus program, the Governor insisted on imposing a 25 percent responsibility on localities. If he had accepted our proposal, local governments would have saved over $250 million already.

Assemblymember Cahill helps deliver quality, affordable health care
Last year, the Assembly helped enact a bi-partisan budget over the Governor’s vetoes that:

• provided over $4.8 million in restorations to area hospitals and nursing homes
• protected vital county health programs, our frontline defense against emerging diseases like SARS and potential bioterror attacks
• rejected the Governor’s proposed “sick-tax” which penalizes hospitals and health care providers