Greater New York Hospital Association

One day after Hillary Clinton stood on the steps of the state capitol and said she'd push for universal health care coverage for "every single American," New York's leading health care unions have launched a television ad blitz with this spot explaining "the need to provide health insurance for every man, woman and child in New York State."

The timing may or may not be a coincidence, but it's worth remembering how the Greater New York Hospital Association, one of the groups behind this television ad, wielded Hillary's recent criticism of President Bush's health care spending plan to bat down Eliot Spitzer's plan to reduce Medicaid spending.

The groups opposing Eliot Spitzer's health care plan are now using the governor's approach to negotiating: publicly shame your local lawmaker. (Remember Spitzer's trip to Syracuse?)

1199 and the Greater New York Hospital Association sent this personalized mailing to Queens residents, asking them to "Call State Senator George Onorato and ask him to oppose $2.6 million in Gov. Spitzer's healthcare cuts to our district."

It's a shift -- or at least a distinct course of action -- from their television campaign, which is designed to affect public opinion by featuring nurses calling out Spitzer by name.

UPDATE: That was the stick mailing. Here's the carrot.

-- Azi Paybarah

After getting blasted by Eliot Spitzer this morning, 1199 consultant Jennifer Cunningham and Greater New York Hospital Association President Ken Raske defended claims they made in television commercials opposing the governor's proposed health care spending cuts.

-- Azi Paybarah

Eliot Spitzer may have toned down his act recently, but he wasn't tempering much of anything during his appearance at the Hilton this morning in front of an audience of business leaders at an ABNY breakfast.

Displaying the logos of 1199 and the Greater New York Hospital Association under the headline "guardians of the status quo," he said, "I wanted to put your logos up here so everybody knows who you are."

A ripple of distinctly nervous laughter went through the ballroom.

-- Azi Paybarah

Coverage of yesterday's remarkable exchange between the Clinton and Obama campaigns is here and here.

Hillary may lose the black vote, according to Errol Louis.

Eliot Spitzer has a budget fight on his hands with 1199 SEIU and the Greater New York Hospital Association.

Spitzer may ignore recommendations from a Pataki-controlled committee in deciding who gets the state's horse racing franchise.

There is major under-reporting of crimes in the city's public schools, according to a report by Betsy Gotbaum.

2009 mayoral candidates weigh in on a report that said state and local taxes in New York are higher than in most other major cities.

The student paper at Brooklyn College has removed a story posted its website (and linked here) about Wesley Clark's upcoming memoir and presidential plans.

The Post editorial board's treatment of Hillary continues to trend away from benign. "If she was that close to the levers of power, how is it that she seems to have learned so little of what the responsibilities of office really are?"

And newly City Councilman Mathieu Eugene has to find a home in the district quickly.

-- Azi Paybarah

And they're off ...

Crain's is reporting that the Greater New York Hospital Association and the powerful 1199-SEIU health care workers' union have finally thrown down the legal gauntlet and sued Governor Pataki to restore $110 million in Medicaid funding.

The lawsuit is the latest volley in a protracted budgetary ping pong game that has been playing out in Albany between Pataki, the Legislature, and the state's various powerhouse health care interests. In a nutshell, it asks the court to rule that the Legislature has the constitutional right to reinstate the funds and that the governor must enact them.

The lawsuit is also a pointed reminder of how much as changed since that March morning in 2002 when Dennis Rivera endorsed Pataki with the words: "Never in the history of 1199 SEIU, has a Governor of this State demonstrated such unwavering commitment to the delivery of quality healthcare or been so responsive to the needs of the workers, the patients, and the entire healthcare industry, as has Governor Pataki."

We guess this means that Rivera probably wants to amend that statement.

-- Lizzy Ratner