SCHUMER ON MEDICARE PROPOSAL: GREAT PLAN WITH ONE BIG FLAW - HURTS NY HOSPITALS

On the day after President Clinton released his Medicare proposal, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer outlined how the cuts in this plan, on top of the ones made under the 1997 Balanced Budget Amendment, would hurt in New York's hospitals.

"Overall, I believe the president's plan is an excellent one. Any plan that can protect Social Security on into the second half of the 21 ^st  century, modernize Medicare, bring a prescription plan that recipients want and need and bring budget the deficit to zero should receive everyone's support.

"There is, however, one major flaw: New York's hospitals are given the short shrift. The plan cuts funding to hospitals by $39 billion over 10 years on top of the deep cuts in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. New York is hit especially hard because we are one of the world's leading medical centers. Our share of the cuts will be about $1.7 billion in the city and $3.2 billion throughout the state. I have spoken with Secretary Shalala and OMB Director Lew and am going to the White House on Thursday to impress upon Administration officials that these cuts to our hospitals risk the very fabric of our health care system."  

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