Paterson moves critical health care budget Tom Precious The Buffalo News, NY McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
February 19--ALBANY - lashing to "shrill" advertising on its health care budget, cutting plan, Governor David A. Paterson Wednesday defended its proposal to slow the rate of growth in reimbursements to hospitals and nursing homes then spend more public money to preventive health.

He said that health care special interests that are "the same tired argument" as in past years, when the state was looking to erase the deficit and they close their eyes to the historic character of the red ink now facing the situation - probably more than 14 billion dollars in the fiscal year that begins April 1.

The governor has been the subject of stinging criticism in a series of ads running in a Downstate Health and Trade Group of the Local 1199 Service Employees International Union. One ad is a blind man in a wheelchair asking why Paterson, who is legally blind, is cutting health services.

"In this particular case, they would have you believe that the decrease in funding for hospital procedures in any way the closing of emergency rooms, to dismiss workers and fear in the heart of patients," Paterson said in a speech at the New York Academy of Medicine in Manhattan.

"The fear that being struck in the heart of patients come from the inaccuracy of the advertisement. The fact is that even if our regulations are implemented, the hospital revenue would be reduced by less than 2 percent. Hospitals will not the failure of this plan. "

However, the governor has sent some signals that health care could have a major boost with the new federal incentive, which will send nearly $ 25 billion to New York for two years, of which 11 billion dollars in higher Medicaid reimbursements from the state.

The new federal fund health care are not specifically dedicated to Medicaid, allowing states to determine where to spend it.

Paterson said he wants to use part of the Medicaid money to help eliminate some of the more than 500 million "nuisance" tax increases and tax and has proposed to restore programs service of man, he proposed cutting.

But the governor also said he intends to use "a" and "a lot" of Medicaid money for health care restorations. He did not elaborate, saying the exact amount is subject to upcoming budget discussions with the Legislature of the State.

Paterson came from the Committee on Health and Trade Group SEIU Local 1199 has unveiled a new series of ads Wednesday to fight what they say, is over $ 4 billion in health care cuts its budget.

"Tell Gov. Paterson times are hard, but cutting health care is not the right choice", one of the new ad states.

Local 1199 President George Gresham said: "With hospitals, nursing homes and home care providers who are already struggling to survive, using Medicaid funds to help in another way does not meaning. "