Cuomo applauds failed attempt to repeal law
The failure of the push to repeal and replace Obamacare was cheered by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The failure of the push to repeal and replace Obamacare was cheered by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who rolled out doomsday scenarios all week about the chaos that would have resulted if the GOP succeeded in overturning the health- care-for-all law.
Cuomo showed no inclination to dial back the rhetoric after plans for a vote on the bill were scrapped, calling the deliberations “a disgusting display of government at its worst.”
“We saw members of Congress openly bribe one another at the expense of their own constituents, racing each other to decimate New York’s healthcare system while attempting to ram through a piece of legislation that would jeopardize the healthcare of 24 million people and supported by only 17 percent of Americans,” Cuomo said.
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul accused her nemesis, U.S, Rep. Chris Collins, of bribery. Collins, an Erie County Republican, ended her one-term career in Congress in 2012, and drew the ire of Cuomo for proposing a state takeover of Medicaid costs now paid by the counties.
“Collins bribed New York Republican Congress members with the county bait and switch, selling the illusion of county tax relief at the cost of an explosion of state taxes or the bankruptcy of their hospitals and senior care,” she said. “Collins tried to play New Yorkers for fools, and, while we know he is a financial fraudster, his latest insider trading scheme backfired and didn’t outsmart the people of this state.”
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also weighed in, saying the repeal bill “would have brought us back to the days when insurance companies could refuse to cover maternity care, and would have made health care much more expensive for families and seniors — all while giving huge tax breaks to insurance companies and drug companies.
“We should continue to work to improve our health care system, but this was a bad bill, and I’m glad it was stopped.”
House Republicans and President Trump said the failure to round up enough votes to get rid of Obamacare means the status quo will prevail for the foreseeable future. That’s good news for New York government leaders who have embraced the law, even as insurers have warned it is financially unsustainable.
It’s also positive for the time being for New Yorkers who have obtained health insurance through the program, either as a result of Medicaid public assistance or purchasing coverage through the state run insurance marketplace.
The bill’s failure removes a cloud over the upcoming 2017-18 state budget due to be passed by April 1. Some feared the budget adoption could be delayed, but that seems less likely now that the status quo is preserved for the state’s healthcare system.
The debate threw some rare light on New York’s costly Medicaid program, which spends more than $1 billion a week on care for the poor and aged. Cuomo has made controlling the growth of Medicaid costs a priority since taking office.
New York spends $59.6 billion a year on the federal Medicaid program, second only to California, which has twice New York’s population and spends $90.6 biillion.