Glens Falls Post-Star
1/21/11
Maury Thompson
Business leaders are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to separate out legislation to establish a health insurance exchange from the state budget process, said Peter Aust, president and chief executive officer of Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Establishing an exchange will enable the state to receive funding through the federal health care reform plan to establish an exchange, a mechanism through which individuals and small businesses could buy health insurance.
Aust said business leaders are concerned legislation to establish the exchange will not get adequate debate if it is tied with the state budget.
In the state budget process, myriad bills that affect state spending are passed together in one comprehensive budget package.
Typical, the language of the package is not finalized until days, and sometimes hours, before the state Legislature votes on it.
“In our opinion, this exchange creation has got to be distanced from the overall spending plan of New York to insure that debate (over the exchange) is not diluted by the debate over the spending plan,” Aust said.
State Assemblyman Tony Jordan, R-Jackson, said he agrees with the chamber.
“My concern is when you put things in the budget, you don’t end up focusing on the language in that particular issue as much, because it’s consumed within this massive $134 billion budget,” he said. “The only reason to put it into the budget, strikes me, as to force it through, as opposed to a standalone (legislation) where it’s going to get singular scrutiny.”
But Karen Scharff, executive director Citizen Action of New York, an advocacy organization, said separating the health insurance exchange legislation out as a standalone bill would delay the process.
“We support inclusion of the health care exchange in the budget,” she said. “We think it’s very important that the state establish it’s health exchange this year because there’s going to be savings for consumers and small businesses.”
Scharff the legislation merely sets up the framework for an exchange.
“It doesn’t lay out specific substantive decisions. It leaves those to be decided late by the exchange and by the Legislature,” she said.
Aust said that business leaders generally are encouraged with Cuomo’s overall state budget proposal.
“I do want to give kudos to the governor. I think he’s being both visionary and fiscally focussed,” Aust said.
“One of the key things I want to point out that we support is his proposal to provide relief to local government regarding Medicaid. It’s a burden that our local governments have been struggling with for years.”
