Each Thursday, we put one of our local newsmakers On The Spot.
This week: State Sen. David J. Valesky
This week's question: Where do you stand on Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposed state health-care spending cuts?
With just days to go before the deadline, a tentative agreement has been reached and the Legislature will likely spend the weekend trying to pass the third on-time budget in as many years.
Budget negotiations were particularly contentious this year, with Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposing major reforms in the health care system and in school aid funding.
As we all know from the recent television commercials, the greatest area of disagreement was health care. Spitzer proposed a budget that, among other things, attempted to rein in Medicaid costs and, as he says, put patients before institutions.
He focused on health care reform for good reason. Health costs have become an overwhelming burden for families, for businesses and for government. A main culprit driving health costs in New York is Medicaid. In the past 15 years, Medicaid has risen from 14 percent of the state's general budget fund to 35 percent. County governments, which bear a portion of the Medicaid burden as well, have watched skyrocketing Medicaid costs eat up larger portions of their local budgets and have been forced to pass that burden on in the form of higher property taxes.
In his executive budget the governor proposed several steps to crack down on Medicaid fraud and reduce waste in the system. The governor specifically proposed reducing waste by changing how Medicaid recipients receive care from the start. Too often, individuals on Medicaid put off treatment for nagging health problems because they lack primary care options. Eventually, the condition worsens and they end up in an emergency room. Suddenly, a treatment that could have cost $60 now costs the system $400 or more.
The governor argues the way to address this is by shifting the emphasis in health care from expensive emergency room and institutional care to more effective and less expensive primary and preventative care. In so doing, the governor hopes to create a system that is smarter, more efficient and more effective.
While I agree with the overall goal of reining in health costs to reduce property taxes and improve efficiency in our health system, I was concerned that broad cuts could harm the hospitals and nursing homes that currently supply much needed care.
The agreement we reached on health care protects patients and health care jobs, while at the same time moves us toward a system that reduces waste and improves health care for all. With this budget we will take the first step toward a stronger, more effective health care system in New York.
This week's question: Where do you stand on Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposed state health-care spending cuts?
With just days to go before the deadline, a tentative agreement has been reached and the Legislature will likely spend the weekend trying to pass the third on-time budget in as many years.
Budget negotiations were particularly contentious this year, with Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposing major reforms in the health care system and in school aid funding.
As we all know from the recent television commercials, the greatest area of disagreement was health care. Spitzer proposed a budget that, among other things, attempted to rein in Medicaid costs and, as he says, put patients before institutions.
He focused on health care reform for good reason. Health costs have become an overwhelming burden for families, for businesses and for government. A main culprit driving health costs in New York is Medicaid. In the past 15 years, Medicaid has risen from 14 percent of the state's general budget fund to 35 percent. County governments, which bear a portion of the Medicaid burden as well, have watched skyrocketing Medicaid costs eat up larger portions of their local budgets and have been forced to pass that burden on in the form of higher property taxes.
In his executive budget the governor proposed several steps to crack down on Medicaid fraud and reduce waste in the system. The governor specifically proposed reducing waste by changing how Medicaid recipients receive care from the start. Too often, individuals on Medicaid put off treatment for nagging health problems because they lack primary care options. Eventually, the condition worsens and they end up in an emergency room. Suddenly, a treatment that could have cost $60 now costs the system $400 or more.
The governor argues the way to address this is by shifting the emphasis in health care from expensive emergency room and institutional care to more effective and less expensive primary and preventative care. In so doing, the governor hopes to create a system that is smarter, more efficient and more effective.
While I agree with the overall goal of reining in health costs to reduce property taxes and improve efficiency in our health system, I was concerned that broad cuts could harm the hospitals and nursing homes that currently supply much needed care.
The agreement we reached on health care protects patients and health care jobs, while at the same time moves us toward a system that reduces waste and improves health care for all. With this budget we will take the first step toward a stronger, more effective health care system in New York.
The Citizens' Say
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