Ex-Bassett chief: GOP health plan is ‘a bad bill’

March 23--The health care, pocketbooks and jobs of some New Yorkers are in jeopardy, along with funding to hospitals and the state, under the Republicans' proposed American Health Care Act, which comes to a vote Thursday in the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., opponents said Wednesday.

Dr. William Streck of the Health Association of New York State warned that approval of the AHCA would be bad for the nation and New York state. Populations most threatened are the elderly and the disabled, said Streck, chief medical and health systems innovation officer, who spoke at a meeting of health care professionals in Cooperstown on Wednesday.

"This is just a bad bill," said Streck, former president and chief executive officer of Bassett Healthcare Network in Cooperstown. "There will be a fiscal crisis in New York state if this bill passes."

Meanwhile, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, both Democrats, blasted the AHCA as a "broken promise" to Americans.

Schumer, the Senate minority leader, held a media conference to urge Congress to reject what he called "TrumpCare." If enacted, the AHCA could leave millions of New Yorkers with lesser care or no health care at all, the senator said, and also leave countless seniors, children and individuals with disabilities throughout upstate without health care coverage.

"TrumpCare is a modern day Trojan Horse filled will higher premiums, less coverage and a plan to rob millions of upstate New Yorkers who depend on the current affordable health-care option," Schumer said. "If Republicans were serious about health care, they would commit to a bipartisan effort to make the Affordable Care Act better, stronger and more sustainable."

Instead, Republicans are repealing ACA, cutting Medicaid and making quality health care "a luxury item only available for the top 1 percent," Schumer said. Almost 1 million upstate New Yorkers are at risk of losing their health coverage by 2026, he said.

An amendment by Reps. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, and John Faso, R-Kinderhook, would give New York state -- and New York only -- an ultimatum to absorb $2.3 billion in Medicaid costs shouldered by counties outside New York City beginning in 2020 or risk losing federal funding of the same value, according to The Associated Press. The goal is to reduce county property tax burdens by getting rid of what is in some cases the most-expensive cost for county governments.

The amendment found no favor with Cuomo.

"The American Health Care Act as drafted by the Republican Congress and amended by Representatives Collins and Faso will devastate the New York health care system," Cuomo said in a release. "The Republican plan will leave 2.7 million New Yorkers without health care and cut $4.7 billion from the state's Medicaid budget. This comes after the Republicans promised the exact opposite: that no American would lose health care and that no block grant would cut funding to the state."

Cuomo said when the cuts in the amendment are added to the $4.6 billion cost of the ACHA over the next four years, the total cost to the state would rise to $6.9 billion. Across New York, 2.7 million New Yorkers would face substantial loss in current health care coverage, while cuts in funding will threaten the quality and availability of care that New Yorkers need and deserve, according to the governor.

"The radical conservative ideology in Washington has declared war on New York with legislation that will devastate hospitals across the state and hurt New Yorkers," Cuomo said. "I urge members of the community to call their member of Congress and demand that they vote 'no' on this unconscionable piece of legislation."

According to Streck, the proposed AHCA bill is poorly crafted, and would dilute or eliminate ACA standards and consumer guarantees. He spoke to about 65 members of the DSRIP Performing Provider System, Leatherstocking Collaborative Health Partners, at The Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown on Wednesday.

Streck said he expected the House vote to Thursday to be close. The AHCA presents an "under-appreciated risk" to nursing home care and programs for disabled people, such as those offered by locally by Springbrook and Pathfinder Village, Streck said.

"The health care sector is unanimously opposed to this bill," Streck said. "This is a serious time in our society."

The Collins/Faso amendment doesn't give sufficient reason to vote for the bill, according to Streck.

On Wednesday, Cuomo shared an analysis by the state Department of Health that 13 hospitals in the 19th Congressional District would lose $13.7 million in funding if the health care repeal is passed, crippling their ability to provide critical health care services for local residents and jeopardizing hundreds of jobs.

Cuomo said in a media release that area hospitals and projected cuts include:

--Aurelia Osborn Fox Memorial Hospital -- $728,236 in cuts

--Cobleskill Regional Hospital -- $270,332 in cuts

--Delaware Valley Hospital -- $336,950 in cuts

--Margaretville Memorial Hospital -- $113,480 in cuts

--Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital -- $3,720,827 in cuts

--O'Connor Hospital -- $137,602 in cuts

--Tri Town Regional Hospital -- $161,111 in cuts

"Life has options, and the hard reality is that Collins and Faso are leaving New York state with only two unacceptable choices," Cuomo said in a release. "We could pass on the devastating cuts to our hospitals, nursing homes and the 40 percent of New Yorkers who currently receive Medicaid and health benefits.

"Or, we would be forced to raise state income taxes -- either by increasing taxes on all New Yorkers by 10 percent, or if Collins and Faso have their way in protecting only the wealthy, on the middle class by 26 percent," Cuomo said.

Schumer argued that the Republicans' "irresponsible plan" also would "put insurance companies back in charge" by allowing them to offer less coverage and benefits than they do under the ACA.

The AHCA represents another broken promise to Americans,as President Trump promised he would not cut Medicaid, Social Security or Medicare, according to Schumer, who described Medicaid and Medicare as among "the greatest policy innovations of the past century."

Denise Richardson, staff writer, may be reached at (607) 441-7213 or at drichardson@thedailystar.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DS_DeniseR

___

(c)2017 The Daily Star (Oneonta, N.Y.)

Visit The Daily Star (Oneonta, N.Y.) at www.thedailystar.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.