by
Brian Mann on September 28th, 2011
The Watertown Daily Times is reporting that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vetoed a bill that would have routed more money to hospitals in the Adirondacks and along the St. Lawrence River.
The bill would have increased reimbursement for outpatient services.
“We lose money on providing those services now,” said Robert P. Kimmes, CEO of Clifton-Fine Hospital.
The veto means that the rural hospitals will have to adjust in other ways, including an increase in the number of services provided and another effort at changing the Medicaid law.
The bill was sponsored by North Country Assemblywoman Addie Russell. She told the newspaper that concerns about rural healthcare funding will be raised again when the Medicare Redesign Team meets.
Tags: economy, health, politics
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Further proof that Cuomo is a Republican.
But he is a democrat…. The other alternative (and probably the real one since he isn’t a republican) is that this is something that a democrat does not support, hence the veto.
Maybe this party stands for something different than some would think?
Not surprised but not affected because Hamilton County doesn’t have a hospital. Don’t have any traffic lights either.
Until we have control over health care costs these sorts of things will continue to happen. Also the political cost of doing this to a very small amount of rural voters is small.
We also need to fix the reimbursement rates. Outpatient services reimburse at too low a rate, and “procedures” at too high a rate.
Too many of the big wages in the “Health Care Industry” go to folks who aren’t doctors or nurses. The insurance companies run the show and the executives are becoming rich. Unfortunately, the Obama led health care initiative suffered far too many compromises, and ended up being just another program designed to enrich the rich.