Spitzer Promises Healthcare Changes in New York

New York’s new governor, the business-friendly and media-shy Eliot Spitzer, will be proposing big changes this week to healthcare in the state.  Spitzer will officially unveil his formal budget on Wednesday, but discussed some of the provisions at a new conference late last week.

At the top of the agenda, Spitzer says he wants to freeze Medicaid funding to under-performing hospitals and nursing homes, but he says he will not cut benefits to individuals.  And he is already embroiled in a war of words with the nay-sayers:

“I know that those who have benefited from the status quo will fight hard to resist these necessary reforms,” commented Spitzer.

In kind, the Healthcare Association of New York State responded, “We’re prepared to work with the governor in a sincere way, but we are not simply going to accept Medicaid cuts and pretend that’s reform."  The association also called Spitzer’s tone “prosecutorial.” (Of course, Spitzer was the top prosecutor in New York for eight years, so maybe they’re right).

Spitzer is scheduled to address the state at 11am eastern on Wednesday.