Senator Steve Saland Announces Budget Agreement On Health

Senator Steve Saland (R,I,C Poughkeepsie) today announced agreement on the Health and Mental Hygiene portion of the State Budget. Both the Senate and Assembly health budget appropriation and Article VII bills passed by the end of the day on the April 1st deadline.

While the specific impact on local hospitals is still being assessed, nursing homes in the 41st Senate District will see over $4.5 million in restorations of the cuts proposed by former Governor Spitzer. The cost of living adjustment (COLA) was partially restored for the Early Intervention program. This budget also creates an alternative to the elaborate and complicated proposal to rework the hospital reimbursement system and eliminates the proposal to impose a new tax on certain health plans, which would have been passed directly on to the consumer.

"The Senate fought the battle to protect hospitals and nursing homes from the devastating cuts proposed by former Governor Spitzer," said Senator Saland. "This health budget will help keep our health care facilities open and viable and able to continue their mission of caring for the sick, elderly and disabled. It restores many of the proposed cuts which would have wreaked havoc on our health care system. We should do nothing less."

The bill has been sent to the Governor for his signature.