Health care cuts would have serious consequences

To the editor: St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital provides vital health care services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This record of service is, and always will be, our most valuable contribution to the heart of our community. And, like many hospitals across New York state, we are the largest employer in the community we serve. Governor Pataki has proposed approximately $1 billion in cuts to hospitals and nursing homes. If passed, these cuts would profoundly affect the delivery of care in our community. The governor’s proposal also would have a negative impact on the local economy. We play a substantial role in the economy through the people we employ, the impact of our spending, and that of our employees, and the taxes they pay. Yet, every year, we face new threats to our ability to serve our community. Statewide, New York hospitals provide about $1.6 billion in health care services annually to people who cannot pay, the cost of which is only partially subsidized. Additionally, Medicaid fee-for-service in New York has frozen emergency room payments for 15 years, paying now only 24 cents for each dollar spent on a patient in the hospital emergency room. As one of the largest providers of emergency care in the entire Hudson Valley, not having an increase in Medicaid emergency room payments since 1991 is absurd. Instead of cutting, we need to invest in our health care system. Medicaid payments for emergency room visits should be brought up to the cost of providing care. Our costs have increased dramatically since 1991, especially for labor, supplies, and pharmaceuticals. We are proud of our mission of health care service, and of being a cornerstone of this community. I call on Governor Pataki to retract his harmful proposal and I ask the state legislature to oppose the health care cuts, and make needed investments in health care. Enough is enough. Allan E. Atzrott CEO for St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital