BUFFALO (WBEN) - Local officials and healthcare advocates gathered Friday to speak out against the proposed state cuts to Medicaid funding.
"We're asking Albany to defend supporting healthcare, so hospitals and nursing homes can provide quality care for the record number of Medicaid enrollees," said Asim Johnson, of the Healthcare Education Project.
More than $800 million in Medicaid cuts have been proposed over the next two years in New York State, which would spell trouble for Western New York providers. Assemblyman Pat Burke says it's unacceptable.
"These Draconian cuts to healthcare are disappointing, and frankly, cold," he said.
He also said that if these cuts are not really on the table, and Governor Cuomo is simply playing a leverage game, that too would be unacceptable.
"It's my first year in the assembly, so I've got a lot to learn, but one thing that I've heard a lot is that this is really just a negotiating tactic from the governor," said Burke. "I couldn't think of a more cruel notion than to try and leverage people's health and their healthcare as a negotiating tactic."
State Senator Pat Gallivan couldn't make it to the press conference, but he sent Mitch Martin as a representative of his office.
"Senator Gallivan does understand the vital role of hospitals and nursing homes to keep our communities safe," said Martin. "He understands the hard work and dedication of the staff that are here, and the constituency deserves high quality healthcare, and the senator will do everything he can to insure that there's adequate funding."
Even some healthcare professionals spoke up.
"All nursing homes will be impacted if these cuts go through," said Sharina Morris, an L.P.N. at Seneca Health Care Center. "Truth is that we need more healthcare workers, not less."
