Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced that he helped craft the Assembly’s “Families First” 2015-16 state budget proposal, which restores funding to essential health programs, protects families from losing their life savings when a loved one falls ill and invests in medical research (E.203).

“Our health care system should be as strong as the New Yorkers it serves. That means investing in health programs and medical research to benefit families all across New York,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “These programs protect some of the most vulnerable members of our community and ensure that New Yorkers have access to high-quality care.”

Protecting seniors

The Assembly’s budget proposal restores $100 million to Medicaid, including $10.7 million to preserve spousal refusal and protect couples from losing their life savings in the event that a spouse requires long-term care. In 2013, the average yearly cost of staying in a long-term care facility in New York State was $125,732, and these costs can be ruinous for seniors on a fixed income.¹

“Having a spouse who becomes ill or needs long-term care should not mean losing everything you’ve worked so hard for and being cast into poverty,” Thiele said. “Eliminating spousal refusal would be a severe blow to the well-being of many New Yorkers who are either elderly or facing a serious illness. When your spouse falls ill, losing your life savings should be the last thing on your mind.”

Preserving public health programs

A strong commitment to public health has long been a top priority for the Assembly. The 2015-16 budget plan restores $32.5 million for health programs, including:

• A $21.4 million restoration for 39 discrete health programs that would have had their funding cut and been restructured into five grant pools;
• $3.5 million for public health programs eliminated in the governor’s budget proposal, including $750,000 to support family planning services;
• $3.3 million for the Enhancing the Quality of Adult Living (EQUAL) program to improve quality of care for residents of adult care facilities;
• an additional $1.5 million for the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program to encourage innovative research into the treatment and cure of paralysis and damage caused by spinal cord injury; and
• $500,000 for the prescription drug discount card to help offset the staggering cost of prescription medications.

Additionally, the Assembly rejects the governor’s proposal to permit private equity to be invested in as many as five hospitals. Currently, hospitals are only allowed to be not-for-profits. Allowing corporate investment and ownership of hospitals may lead to incentivizing profits over the well-being of patients.

“We cannot allow our hospitals to be run by corporate investors seeking to make money,” said Assemblyman Thiele. “Keeping hospitals not-for-profit ensures that they focus on providing the best quality of care for patients, instead of worrying about making profits. Private hospitals make money when they cut costs, and cheap medical supplies and inadequate staff won’t give patients the care they deserve.”

The Assembly budget proposal also includes $1.2 million to save the New York State physician profile website, which allows New Yorkers to search for licensed doctors that fit their needs, as well as learn more about their current doctor.

“Access to quality health care is not a luxury, but rather a necessity for every New Yorker,” said Thiele. “These programs are integral to improving quality of care and investing in medical research that can improve and save countless lives.”

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1. nytimes.com/2013/11/20/your-money/medicaid-help-without-falling-into-poverty.html