Statement from NYAHSA President Carl Young on Enacted Budget: 'Irresponsible and Unfathomable'

ALBANY, NY (03/30/2009)(readMedia)-- State leaders have sent a cold, stark message to the state's elderly population, people with disabilities, their families and their professional caregivers. The agreed-upon budget slashes essential services to seniors in nursing homes, those needing home care, adult day health care and assisted living. These cuts will result in the loss of thousands of jobs in long term care and a consequent erosion of care. This budget abandons all pretense of "patient-centered care."

With federal health care stimulus money totaling $4.6 billion available this year, it is irresponsible and unfathomable to impose cuts of this magnitude on nursing homes, home care and senior services. This money was intended to fight the recession, not exacerbate it.

This budget is the antithesis of reform. Indeed, it reverses a commitment made by the '06 Legislature (by a combined 211-1 vote) to promote nursing home reform - and overall system reform. Instead, it continues the state's failed 20-year approach of cutting payments and calling it reform.

We recognized the dire circumstances our state is in, and we knew there would be cuts, but we had hoped that our state leaders would have made our seniors and their caregivers a higher priority.

This is a sad day for New Yorkers.