David vs. health Goliath: Paterson takes on hospital lobby in $11 billion fight
Sunday, February 22nd 2009, 4:00 AM
,
signed a stimulus package that includes significant aid to New York. I commend the President and Congress for acting so quickly and welcome the assistance. I am proud of our members of Congress, and my partners in
, who fought so hard for our state.
But let’s make one thing clear: New York’s $24.6 billion share of the federal Read the rest of this entry »

Still, Paterson noted the deficit reduction plan sliced the 2009-10 deficit by $800 million, largely through the Power Authority money and higher insurance fees and tuition.
The plan was the fourth round of cuts to this year’s $121.7-billion budget since its adoption on April 9. Faced with declining revenue from Wall Street, Paterson has twice trimmed state agencies and reached agreement with lawmakers in August on $427 million in savings.
“These Read the rest of this entry »

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but administration officials announced yesterday the state will also increase welfare grants and make it easier to get state-sponsored health insurance.
Payments meted out under a new temporary assistance program will increase 10 percent annually for three years, beginning in January 2010. В This is the first spending increase for the program–which offers cash assistance to needy families–since 1990.
The state will also stop requiring a face-to-face Read the rest of this entry »

“Even in the face of dwindling government revenues, we need to make critical investments to ensure that people don’t go hungry and families receive proper health care that is centered on prevention,” Paterson said.
declined to comment.
Paterson also will propose expanding the state’s Family Health Plus insurance to more people and eliminating vetting requirements for Medicaid applicants such as fingerprinting and in-person interviews. “This will Read the rest of this entry »

In his first State of the State address, Governor David A. Paterson outlined his plan for a stronger New York including the need to confront the current fiscal crisis head on. He laid out a progressive policy agenda to help working families during these difficult times including calling for one of the most ambitious clean energy plans in the nation, setting a “45 by 15” goal that 45 percent of New York State’s electricity needs will be met through Read the rest of this entry »

state’s top health official appears in a
5-minute YouTube video promoting Gov.
’s controversial “fat tax” on soda and other sugary soft drinks.
Health Commissioner Richard Daines is seen on the video standing behind a kitchen counter holding an array of props, including cans of soda, glasses of milk and a football-sized lump of fake fat.
On the video, Daines defends the tax proposal, saying it will help the state fight the spread of childhood Read the rest of this entry »

It is one of the biggest black holes in the nation’s health care system: vast numbers of young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 with no health insurance.
To plug the gap, Gov.
is preparing a plan that will allow many more young adults to be claimed as dependents on their parents’ health insurance plans, a move he described as a significant step toward achieving universal health care in New York.
The plan was praised by some health Read the rest of this entry »

At a time when Gov.
can ill afford more negative attention, the state’s most powerful health care interests are mounting a multimillion-dollar media campaign that excoriates the governor and his plans to cut funding for hospitals and other health care facilities.
In television commercials that will begin broadcasting statewide on Monday, nurses and patients take a personal swipe at the governor, imploring, “Why are you doing this?” Read the rest of this entry »

Around 3:45 p.m. today, police scanners reported that a female Rochester police officer was shot in the area of Dayton and Fairbanks streets, near Hudson Avenue, according to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Other police officers and emergency responders then responded to the crime scene.
Hudson Avenue northbound from Avenue D is blocked off at least a quarter of a mile.
It has not been determined who shot the police officer nor the extent Read the rest of this entry »