Spitzer Calls 1199 Ads "Distortive"
So here's what Eliot Spitzer, sans protruding necktie, just told Gabe Pressman about 1199's television campaign against his health care spending cuts:
-- Azi Paybarah"I'm not really concerned in the sense that a healthy debate about a budget is part and parcel of the legislative and political process. But I'm concerned that people not be mislead by their ads that are fundamentally distortive . Understand Gabe, we need to restructure health care. Our health care system is both the most expensive in the nation and also one of the least effective. If you measure in terms of chronic diseases, if you measure in terms of the number of kids who are obese, if you measure in terms of asthma, if you measure in terms of our failure to provide health insurance, our health care system is not working well."
While I agree about restructuring healthcare in NYS, I don't see how simply cutting the budget is reform. Calling cuts reform is just ridiculous.
What's distortive? That Spitzer has proposed cuts in his budget for health care services - nope. He admits that openly and proudly. That is hospitals lose money they will close - nope. In the last decade NYS has closed many hospitals all citing financial difficulties. The case is simple - if you don't want choice in what hospital you go to, then cut health care budgets. If you want choice, then the government has to decide this is a priority and pay for it. I pay taxes - I like going to whatever hospital I choose. If I lose that choice, then I will personally start complaining about taxes and voting against incumbents. Hospitals are public goods I have no problem paying for public goods, but when you limit my choices and still demand I pay - that doesn't work. Once Bellevue ( a women's hospital) in Albany area closes, I will have to find another hospital to have a child in. Now if St. Peter's goes under where am I going? Albany Med so I can be on a gurney next to a gun shot victim as I wait to see a doctor and wait hours because I am not in a near death injury? Oh no! That is not the medical care I pay for through my taxes.