Berger Commission

Eliot Spitzer is still talking to reporters, but in the meantime, 1199 is already doing its best to pour water on his health care agenda.

An unusually harsh joint statement from 1199 and the Greater New York Hospital Association said that Spitzer's statements were "riddled with inaccuracies" and that there is "nothing strategic or policy-minded about a freeze in spending." (In other words, they're practically daring the press to portray this as a positive reform.)  read more »

The whole long, bluntly worded statement is after the jump.

-- Azi Paybarah

One interesting sidebar to the story of the Berger Commission's recommendations is the amount of lobbying that actually went on behind the scenes.

The president and CEO of one Brooklyn hospital had the following take:

"Everybody knows somebody that's either on the commission or has influence enough in Albany. Everybody has their own lobbyist and people that they know that they can utilize to pressure people."

As I noted earlier, some places like Victory Memorial unloaded a lot of money into hiring well-connected lobbyists to deal with the legislature.

Another, Episcopal Health Services, Inc., hired a firm to lobby the commission directly at a price of $5,000 a month. The commission wound up recommending that one of the group's hospitals, St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, be merged with another one nearby.

Better than closing, right?

-- Azi Paybarah

One part of the Berger Commission's recommendations about which hospitals should close or merge is the amount of lobbying that actually went on behind the scenes.

"Everybody knows somebody that's either on the commission or has influence enough in Albany," said the president and C.E.O. of one Brooklyn hospital. "Everybody has their own lobbyist and people that they know that they can utilize to pressure people."

As I noted earlier, some places like Victory Memorial unloaded a lot of money into hiring well-connected lobbyist to lobby the legislature.

Another, Episcopal Health Services, Inc., hired a firm to lobby the commission directly at a price of $5,000 a month.

The commission recommended one of the group's hospitals, St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, be merged with another one nearby.

Sort of better than closing, right?

The firm, Brown, McMahon and Weimar and Episcopal declined to comment.

-- Azi Paybarah

Jason Horowitz reports on the presidential dreams of Chris Dodd.

Lizzy Ratner and Azi report on the Berger Commission's recommendations for closing and merging New York hospitals and why they are - and aren't - a big deal.

Matthew Schuerman writes about the end of cheap rentals on the Far East Side of Manhattan.

Steve Kornacki explains why the negative effect of Nancy Pelosi's leadership machinations on the Democrats' external public relations is the least of her concerns.

Joe Conason says that the president's evolving language on Iraq doesn't reflect any significant change in his thinking.

-- Josh Benson

It's official.

The Berger Commission has just recommended that nine New york hospitals be closed.

At least one of the named hospitals, Victory Memorial in Brooklyn, had tried rather strenuously to avoid making the list. Here's a contract the hospital signed with the Staten Island-based lobbying firm, the Molinari Group, home of the former borough president.

Altogether, the hospital paid about $100,000 to the firm to lobby the state Department of Health, and specifically to raise the subject of a "possible hospital merger."

So much for that.

It's now up to Albany lawmakers to accept or reject the commission's recommendations.

-- Azi Paybarah

In proposing reforms for the health care industry, the City Council said today that insurance companies should "give back" a portion of their profits to the local communities they serve.

That's one of the Council's 24 recommendations.

The recommendations, politically speaking, are meant to preempt the Dec. 1 recommendations of the Berger Commission -- the independent state panel currently reviewing which hospitals the state should close.

The stakes will be huge, with a ripple effect on next year's state budget negotiations and the state of play in the next state election.

The recommendations could have a more immediate impact on the Spitzer transition process, determining who gets to benefit from the Democratic takeover in Albany. One narrative strand to follow here, for example will be the reaction of SEIU 1199 to the Berger Commission report -- and what they'll demand in response from the candidates who enjoy (or aspire to enjoy) their support.

As Liz noted, SEIU 1199, the hospital workers union, doesn't have a seat on Berger Commission, but their union president does have a seat on Spitzer's transition team.

-- Azi Paybarah