March 17, 2010 News Headlines

Governor Paterson yesterday signed the Family Health Care Decisions Act into law. The Act establishes procedures for making medical treatment decisions on behalf of people who lack the capacity to dictate their own treatment decisions. In the absence of this legislation, which has been deliberated for 17 years, countless families have been forced to endure the tragic human cost of being prevented from making informed, thoughtful decisions.

“HANYS commends the sponsors of the legislation and the Governor for providing family members with the legal authority to make health care treatment decisions when their loved ones are incapacitated and have no health care proxy. The legislation is long overdue in helping to resolve these extraordinarily sensitive and personal decisions,” commented HANYS’ President Daniel Sisto, who attended the Governor’s bill signing ceremony at Albany Memorial Hospital.

This legislation is the product of nearly two decades of deliberation by health care providers, legal experts, and patient advocates, and is intended to overcome the limitations of the current Do-Not-Resuscitate Law, Health Care Proxy Law, and the court-developed “clear and convincing evidence” requirement. Contact: Julia Donnaruma

State legislators from Long Island met with the region’s hospital chief executives recently to discuss the budget deficit and the new taxes and Medicaid cuts hospitals will endure if the Governor’s proposed 2010- 2011 state budget is approved. At the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council (NSHC) briefing, hospital leaders explained the damage the proposed taxes and cuts would cause to health care.

“Ultimately, all of these cuts convert to a loss of jobs or jobs that would be there. Most hospitals have put substantial infrastructure projects on hold,” said Joseph Quagliata, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of South Nassau Communities Hospital and current Chairman of HANYS’ Board of Trustees.

Job losses also translate into losses of employer-provided health benefits, explained NSHC President Kevin Dahill, which is why cutting hospitals’ indigent care funding is illogical at this time. The indigent care fund provides reimbursement to hospitals for care that is not covered by any insurance, public or private.

Douglas Melzer, CEO of Long Beach Medical Center said, “It is incongruous that the state seeks these cuts when the community needs us now more than ever before.”

“We need to form partnerships so we can work through this storm together and return to core services,” said State Senator Kemp Hannon (R-Westbury).

In addition to the many jobs and services that would be lost because of hospital taxes and cuts, one specific service on the chopping block is Long Island’s Poison Control Center hosted by Winthrop-University Hospital. The center is a regional resource for the public and other hospitals and is the only such center on Long Island.

The state could possibly receive $1.5 billion through an increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). State lawmakers said they would discuss using FMAP money for Medicaid this year. Last year, only about 20% of the FMAP allocation to New York State was used to offset Medicaid provider taxes and cuts. Contact: Janine Logan