Public Employee Press


Health-care advocates say:
New York State shortchanges public health care

By ALFREDO ALVARADO

DC 37 leaders joined health-care activists, Public Advocate Letitia James, City Council member Vanessa Gibson and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer to demand that the federal and state governments provide more funding for the city's cash strapped network of public hospitals. NYC Health+Hospitals faces a $2 billion deficit in 2019.

New funding formula

"Our state and federal government must do their part to ensure New Yorkers' access to high quality comprehensive health care," said Brewer during a press conference April 14 in front of City Hall.

The activists also cautioned against any attempts by the city to resolve the hospital's budget crisis by privatizing services.

Ralph Palladino, 2nd vice president of Local 1549 and a longtime health-care activist, noted that inadequate funding is not a new issue. "We consistently receive less money for care than we are entitled to," Palladino said.

NYC Health+Hospitals provides service for 60 percent of the indigent and uninsured patients in the state, but it only receives 3 percent of the $3.5 billion that Albany allocates for those patients annually. DC 37 supports legislation to change the formula for allocating funds for the treatment of indigent and uninsured patients so that NYC Health+Hospitals receives the proper share of the funding.