As Budget Deadline Nears, Larkin Fights For Hospitals And Nursing Homes

As the April 1st deadline for the state budget nears, Senator Bill Larkin (R-C, Cornwall-on-Hudson) said the Governor’s proposed $1.2 Billion cut hospitals and nursing homes would be devastating and vowed to fight to prevent these cuts in the final state budget.

"These facilities can’t simply make up for a loss of millions of dollars," said Senator Larkin. "There is no doubt that the Governor’s proposed cuts will cause job losses and hurt patient services. We are very split on this issue, even within the Senate. Senate Republicans voted to reject these massive health care cuts while my Senate Democratic colleagues unanimously voted to support Governor Spitzer’s plan. This is one of the largest issues we are fighting for during this final week of budget deliberations.

"Health care is one of the biggest and most controversial parts of the budget. And while we all want to make smart reforms to the health care system, we must not lose sight of those who need these services the most, namely, children, the elderly, and the severely ill. I sincerely hope that we can reach an understanding before the week is out and restore the funding that will protect patients and the health care givers who take care of them."

Following the rejection of the Governor’s health care budget cuts, the Senate approved a health care budget resolution that includes a net restoration of $544 million for Medicaid and health programs, including restoring $241.1 million for hospitals and $230.4 million for nursing homes to ensure people’s access to care. Senate Democrats voted against the resolution restoring health care cuts.