Gillibrand’s Support of Single-Payer ‘New York Health Act’ Will Crush Hospitals, Threaten Quality Care

NEW YORK, Oct. 23 -- Chele Farley, the Republican nominee for the Senate, issued the following campaign news release:

US Senate candidate Chele Farley (R, C, Reform) today called on Presidential wannabe Kirsten Gillibrand to reverse her support for the costly New York Health Act, a state government takeover of healthcare that will crush New York hospitals and erode the quality of care -- while doubling healthcare costs.

According to an analysis prepared by the Empire Center, under the New York Health Act "overall statewide hospital funding would be slashed by 17 percent, or $10 billion a year," and 77 percent of New York hospitals statewide would lose money, leading to layoffs, limiting access for patients and threatening the overall quality of care.

"Kirsten Gillibrand will say anything and promise more in the reckless pursuit of her Presidential ambitions, even if it means reducing access to healthcare for millions of New Yorkers," said Farley.

In additional to backing the state's single-payer plan, Gillibrand is also an ardent supporter of a federal takeover of healthcare -- colloquially known as "Medicare for all" -- which would cost $32.6 trillion over 10 years and starve seniors of the quality of care they receive today. In Watertown on Monday, Gillibrand discussed the latest in a long string of her do-nothing legislative programs, the Basic Health Program Expansion Act of 2018, while endorsing a state takeover of healthcare.

In recent months Gillibrand has supported: Medicare for all, a federal job guarantee, free community college and a bank in all 33,000 branches of the US Post Office. She plans to pay for it with a tax on New York's financial services industry.

"Kirsten Gillibrand is New York's #MeFirst Senator who has clearly put her ambitions ahead of the needs of everyday New Yorkers. Now she is threatening to reduce choices for patients and destroy private, employer-sponsored health insurance. If elected, I will always put New York first and never give up the fight to get our fair share from Washington, DC and keep bureaucrats out of our healthcare decisions," said Farley.