Legislature Must Reject Health-care Cuts

ALBANY, NY (11/12/2008)(readMedia)-- The proposed funding cuts to the long term care system will reduce quality of care, result in job losses and limit access to long term care services for our seniors and the disabled.

The New York Association of Homes & Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) understands that the state is facing difficult financial times, but as it responds to the financial situation, it must do so in a manner that limits the impact on vulnerable seniors and disabled individuals. We fear that the proposed cuts will have a profound direct and negative impact on these New Yorkers.

Virtually every component of the state's long term care system is targeted under these cuts, from nursing home care to home care services, adult day health care, adult homes and housing. The state's long term care system is already struggling to preserve a safety net of essential services in the wake of increased costs and decades of funding reductions, including state funding cuts twice this year. These additional cuts will only make a bad situation worse.

We respectfully urge state lawmakers to reject these cuts and ensure that the frail elderly and disabled are protected during this fiscal crisis.

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