Let pols get raises: Gov
But balks at gov’t-run insurance
ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo Thursday gave a thumbs up to the idea of the first legislative pay raise in 20 years, but was cooler toward enacting a single-payer health care system in New York.
Cuomo during an appearance on upstate public radio’s “The Capitol Pressroom” said he supports the concept of single-payer health care, but expressed reservations about the costs.
“I have a lot of great ideas for Christmas gifts that I want to get, but then I have to deal with the reality of the costs and the budget,” Cuomo said.
He said it would be better to have a federal health care solution than a state one.
Cuomo has pushed to maintain state spending increases to no more than 2%, though some fiscal gimmicks were used to achieve it.
He argued Thursday that transitioning to a single-payer health care program could nearly double the state’s $170 billion budget.
“Fiscal responsibility is important,” he said.
With the Democrats taking control of both houses of the Legislature, “there will be a rhetorical desire to do things, and then governmentally there will have to be a reality test where we have to get all these things to fit in the budget,” Cuomo said.
He added: “Do we all agree on the concept? Yes. How do we do it? And the how is as important as the desire.”
Meanwhile, Cuomo said lawmakers, who last had a pay raise in 1999, deserve one.
“Legislators work very hard, they come to Albany, they’re away from their family for days on end. They make tremendous sacrifices,” he said. “I know it’s not popular to say, but I do believe they deserve a raise.”
A panel created by the governor and Legislature met earlier this week to begin the process of determining whether to approve a pay raise and for how much.
A similar panel was created two years ago, but failed to recommend a raise after the governor’s appointees wanted to tie it to ethics reforms.
State lawmakers currently make a base salary of $79,500.
Cuomo also said it’s important to raise the salaries of state agency commissioners to make the jobs competitive.
“You want quality in government and you want to be able to attract people,” he said.