FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 8, 2010
Diane Coleman, Director of Advocacy, 585-546-7510, dcoleman@cdrnys.org

Advocates Stunned as Paterson Forced Health Care Cuts Through Extender

(Rochester, NY): In another piecemeal attempt at budgeting, Governor Paterson’s latest “last ditch” effort to close the State’s deficit was to incorporate the health care cuts into the new extender bill. The original purpose of the extender bills was to provide bear bones funding to basic, essential public operations in order to keep State government functioning. However, ten weeks of extender bills, without an approved budget, has seen the extender bills morph into a political tool that rivals the Trojan horse – where Paterson provides the Legislature with what appears to be a bear bones bill but then sneaks in critical, often controversial, measures in order to force the Legislature’s hand.

“This is not how the process should work. Frankly, there is no process,” said Chris Hilderbrant, Chief Operating Officer with the Center for Disability Rights. “To use health care – and ultimately the consumers of health care – as a political tool is contemptible.”

New Yorkers with disabilities are certainly going to feel the effects of this. For example, the trend factor, which serves to adjust the reimbursement for inflation, was eliminated for the 2010 fiscal year and there has not been a trend factor since April 1, 2009. Providers will, once again, not have the ability to provide wage increases to the workers who provide the supports and services to people with disabilities that allow them to remain independent in the community.

According to Diane Coleman, Director of Advocacy with the Center for Disability Rights, “The Governor believes that the Legislature brought this upon themselves – and to some extent, there is truth in that. The fact that we have not seen conference committees or even open-door movement with the budget over the past couple months lead us to believe that we needed to brace for some level of health care cuts. However, no one could have predicted this.”

By folding health care into the extender bill, advocates are left (like the Legislature) with their hands tied. There are no options for advocacy efforts. Rather, New Yorkers with disabilities are left to simply watch, stunned as the Legislature is forced to push through the Executive’s health care agenda.

The Center for Disability Rights, Inc. (CDR) is a non-profit service and advocacy organization devoted to the full integration, independence and civil rights of people of all ages with all types of disabilities. With services in 13 counties in New York State and offices in Rochester, Corning, Geneva and Albany, CDR represents the concerns of thousands of people with disabilities.