Where the Candidates Stand on Health Care
A voters guide for citizens in the 27th Congressional
district and in the 145th and 146th Assembly districts
Brought to you by
the Western New York Health Care Campaign
The Western New York Health Care Campaign is a coalition
of health care advocacy organizations working towards a national
health plan that is non-profit based, provides an equitable
distribution of funding, and has community input in its planning
and implementation. Such a plan would cover all people and
we believe is the only way to control the high costs of health
care and reestablish the quality care we all deserve.
To this end, we have created and disseminated this health
care voters guide to candidates for the New York State Assembly
and Congress to assess their knowledge and views on health
care issues. We have chosen to limit our involvement this
election cycle to the Assembly races in the 145th and 146th
Assembly districts, and to the 27th Congressional district.
The Western New York Health Care Campaign does not endorse
candidates for office. However, we are working to educate
voters in the targeted districts about the candidates' views
on health care, and encourage them to seriously consider the
candidates' responses as they decide how to cast their votes.
Copies of the voters guide are being distributed through direct
mail, at community events, and via member organizations' websites.
To receive additional copies, please call 816-1168.
Questions to the 27th Congressional district candidates:
- Various proposals have been made to fix the problems
of health care cost and access. Progress appears stymied
by disagreements over exactly how to do so. The Health Care
Access Resolution – House Concurrent Resolution 99, Senate
Concurrent Resolution 41 does not endorse a specific plan.
Rather, it lays out principles necessary for any plan to
be efficient, just, and sustainable. This resolution commits
Congress to begin a meaningful public debate very soon on
how to provide affordable access to quality health care
for all, and to pass a comprehensive health care plan by
October 2005. If elected, will you add your name as a co-sponsor
to House Concurrent Resolution 99?
- Our state is facing another difficult fiscal year, with
a projected budget shortfall of $3 billion. While the 2005
fiscal year budget gap is less than in previous years, closing
the gap will be especially difficult because we have already
drawn down our reserves. Last year, temporary federal fiscal
relief, tied in part to the Medicaid program, played a crucial
role in helping us to avoid even more severe cutbacks in
health services to vulnerable populations. If elected, will
you support an extension of temporary fiscal relief to give
our state budget additional time to recover from the recent
downturn?
- Section 1115 of the Social Security Act permits the Secretary
of Health and Human Services to waive provisions of the
Medicaid and Child Health Plus statutes at the request of
a state if the waiver is determined to “promote the objectives”
of the program, and if it meets certain other criteria.
S. 2222 would protect the federal guarantee of Medicaid
for any eligible individual and ensure that waivers are
not used to cap payments to states. If elected, will you
support similar legislation in the House?
- A proposal to create Associated Health Plans (AHPs) would
allow small businesses to band together through trade groups
and negotiate for "more affordable" coverage on
behalf of their employees and their families. The
AHP proposal would exempt these new plans from regulation
by state insurance departments and from state insurance
coverage mandates. Therefore, people ensured by an
AHP would not have the consumer protections currently provided
by state law: a patient bill of rights, a good benefit package,
and fiscal solvency rules requiring insurance companies
to have enough cash on hand to pay claims. If elected,
will you vote to oppose legislation creating AHPs?
- The President has proposed tax credits to help people
purchase health insurance in the individual market. While
this type of tax credit would appear to be an easy way to
help people gain coverage, the individual market is not
the answer for most uninsured people. Such policies have
high deductibles and limited coverage, people who get sick
face prohibitive premium increases, and individual tax credits
will undermine the employer-sponsored insurance market,
where the vast majority of insured Americans obtain their
health coverage. If elected, will you oppose the use of
such tax credits?
- According to the Institute of Medicine, 98,000 patients
die in hospitals every year because of preventable injuries
– more than the number of Americans who die from automobile
accidents, breast cancer and AIDS combined. Nurse understaffing
is a significant factor in 1 out of 4 of those deaths.
Safe staffing levels save lives. H.R. 4316 would amend
the Public Health Service Act to establish direct care registered
nurse-to-patient staffing ratio requirements in hospitals,
and for other purposes. If elected, will you add your name
as a co-sponsor to H.R. 4316?
Brian Higgins, candidate for the 27th Congressional district
Political Party: Democrat
Education: BA from Buffalo State College, MA from
Harvard University
Current Position: Member, NYS Assembly, 145th District
Endorsements: Working Families Party, NY AFL-CIO,
Teamsters, various building trades, Democratic and Independence
Parties
Personal Statement: This year, the residents of Buffalo
and Western New York have a unique opportunity. We have an
opportunity to send to Washington someone with the education,
legislative experience, and energy to both effectively represent
the residents of this district, but also to have an immediate
impact in Washington DC, toward our region’s benefit. My candidacy
represents the best hope for the men, women and working families
of this region to bring more federal resources back to Western
New York, and my record in support of issues important to
working people demonstrates my commitment to growing our local
economy and creating jobs.
If elected, will you add your name as a co-sponsor to
House Concurrent Resolution 99? YES
If elected, will you support an extension of temporary
fiscal relief to give our state budget additional time to
recover from the recent downturn? YES
If elected, will you support legislation similar to the
Medicaid and CHIP Safety Net Preservation Act of 2004 in the
House of Representatives? YES
If elected, will you vote to oppose legislation creating
Associated Health Plans? YES
If elected, will you oppose the use of tax credits
for purchasing individual health insurance policies? YES—unless
concerns raised in the question above, specifically the differences
between the employer-sponsored insurance market and the individual
market, can be addressed appropriately
If elected, will you add your name as a co-sponsor to
H.R. 4316? YES
Nancy Naples, candidate for the 27th Congressional district
Ms. Naples declined to participate in this voters guide.
Questions to the 145th and 146th Assembly district candidates:
- New York has been innovative in maximizing federal dollars
to cover New York’s needs. Currently Child Health Plus covers
children up to 250% FPL and Family Health Plus covers all
adults up to 100% FPL and parents up to 150% FPL. New York
could provide insurance coverage for more of its residents
and secure additional federal funding by expanding FHP eligibility
levels so that all people
- New York is considering legislation proposed by Gov.
Pataki that would permit Health Insurance Plan (HIP) of
Greater New York and other nonprofit health plans to become
for-profit companies. As part of the proposed plan, New
York would seize 95% of HIP's assets -- over $1 billion.
If successful, not only will hundreds of millions of dollars
be diverted away from health care, but premiums for HIP
customers will soar, benefits will be reduced and reimbursements
for those providing health benefits squeezed. If elected,
Will you vote no on for-profit conversions?
- The NYS Legislature is considering a "contingency"
budget bill that could cap Medicaid and other funding, which
will likely result in program cuts. Cost-of-living increases
or trend factors are also eliminated under the contingency
budget. The proposed contingency budget would put many of
the programs New York's health care consumers rely on at
risk, including Medicaid, Family Health Plus, Child Health
Plus, EPIC and ADAP. If elected, will you vote no on the
contingency budget?
- New York has long had a bad debt and charity care pool
as part of its hospital reimbursement system. However, the
state does not require hospitals to tell uninsured consumers
that funds are available to offset the cost of their care.
Legislation pending would require hospitals to submit reports
to the department of health with the number of uninsured
or underinsured patients served by such hospital (A.9217),
to implement eligibility standards and procedures for financial
assistance in order to participate in the distribution of
funds from the indigent care pool (A.9218), and when implementing
collection policies and procedures, to include special rules
for the collection of debts from persons in households having
a net household income at or below 300% FPL (A.9219). If
elected, will you support bills A.9217, A.9218, and A.9219?
- The rising cost of prescription drugs is exerting increasing
pressure on New York’s Medicaid program. Medicaid will
have spent nearly $3.1 billion on pharmaceuticals in FY
02–03, according to the NYSDOH. This figure is projected
to increase to nearly $3.7 billion for FY 03–04 and
is driven by growth rates of approximately 20% per year
since 2000, a rate higher than the overall Medicaid growth
rate. Medicaid preferred drug lists shift market share to
lower priced “preferred” drugs and secure lower
prices from manufacturers who want their products placed
on the PDL. If elected, will you support failsafe consumer
protections under any Medicaid preferred drug program?
- New York needs a bulk-buying program for prescription
drugs in all our publicly funded health care programs that
would also be available to individual consumers. Our state
could save billions of dollars each year through such an
initiative, and we can’t afford to pass that up. If
elected, will vote in support of legislation to create a
bulk-buying program for prescription drugs?
Richard Rydza, candidate for the 145th Assembly district
Mr. Rydza declined to participate in this voters guide.
Mark Schroeder, candidate for the 145th Assembly district
Political Party: Democrat
Education: Bachelor’s from Empire State College
Current Position: County Legislator, Erie County,
2nd District
Endorsements: Democrat, Working Families, Independence,
Conservative, AFL-CIO
Personal Statement: In just two and a half years as
an elected official, Mark J.F. Schroeder has earned a reputation
as a strong leader and a hard worker who is dedicated to getting
results and fighting for the interests of his constituents.
“This is what local leadership is all about. Because of the
dogged efforts of Erie County Legislator Mark Schroeder, conditions
in South Buffalo are getting better...If all elected officials
were so effective, Western New York would be in far better
shape than it is...The 2nd District is fortunate to have a
legislator so thoroughly committed to it interests,” wrote
the Buffalo News editorial board on April 12, 2004.
Will you support expanding FHP? YES
Will you vote no on for-profit conversions? YES
Will
you vote no on the contingency budget? YES
Will you support Assembly bills A.9217, A.9218, and A.9219?
YES
Will you support failsafe consumer protections under any
Medicaid preferred drug program? YES
Will you vote in support of legislation to create a bulk-buying
program for prescription drugs? YES
Francis J. Pordum, candidate for the 146th Assembly district
Political Party: Democrat
Education: BA from Colgate, MS Education & CAS—Supervision
& Administration from SUCNY at Buffalo
Current Position: retired
Endorsements: Working Families Party, UAW, BTF
Personal Statement: I bring to this campaign fourteen
years of experience as a State Assemblyman and a proven track
record of bringing about tangible results in the State Assembly
for those I represent. I have a thorough knowledge of the
legislative process, as well as knowledge of the workings
of local government that I obtained by being Chairman of the
Local Governments Committee for eight years. I have always
advocated for health care for all of our citizens. I will
continue to use my knowledge, experience and my ability to
get things done to insure the best possible care for all.
Will you support expanding FHP? YES—I have always
been a staunch supporter of health care for all. I have had
an open door policy for all health care advocates during my
entire elected life.
Will you vote no on for-profit conversions? YES—Health
care costs are already too high, people are not receiving
the services they deserve and this plan will further reduce
services.
Will you vote no on the contingency budget? YES—I
have already voted against cuts like these when I was in the
Assembly.
Will you support Assembly bills A.9217, A.9218, and A.9219?
YES—We have to be able to give health care to the uninsured
or underinsured. Health care is a right not a privilege.
Will you support failsafe consumer protections under any
Medicaid preferred drug program? YES—This would protect
people from not being able to get their drugs to help with
their conditions.
Will you vote in support of legislation to create a bulk-buying
program for prescription drugs? YES—Why should drug
companies get all the excess profits. These extra dollars
will insure proper medication for people.
Jack Quinn, candidate for the 146th Assembly district
Political Party: Republican
Education: St. Francis High School ‘96, Siena
College ‘00, UB Law School ‘03
Current Position: Candidate
Endorsements: Graphics Communications International
Union, WNY Joint Board UNITE
Personal Statement: Jack Quinn comes from a working
family and understands the importance of good health care
and having the very best people providing these services.
He knows that highly trained, well paid nurses and support
staff can make a difference. While he knows something needs
to be done to cut the cost of government, he will never do
it at the expense of quality health care programs. As Assemblyman
he’ll carry on the tradition established by his father
to protect the rights of working people.
Will you support expanding FHP? YES—I would support
the expansion of FHP in the manner. This program has been
very successful in extending health care coverage to our uninsured
population and represents a good incremental approach to achieving
the long-term goal of universal health care coverage.
Will you vote no on for-profit conversions? NO—I
would oppose legislation that seizes 95% of HIP’s assets
and doesn’t fund health care initiatives. The best way
to use funds from conversions is to fund creative initiatives
that give access to health care for the uninsured and underinsured.
Will you vote no on the contingency budget? UNDECIDED—I
would want to ensure that all the state’s health care
programs are adequately funded. A strong economy is our best
defense against budget shortfalls.
Will you support Assembly bills A.9217, A.9218, and A.9219?
UNDECIDED—These proposals seem reasonable given the size
of the BD/CC pool. But we must make sure that we would not
unintentionally compromise the ability for our hospitals to
deliver quality services.
Will you support failsafe consumer protections under any
Medicaid preferred drug program? YES—I will support
any effort to ensure cancer patients and other seriously ill
patients on Medicaid have access to needed drugs.
Will you vote in support of legislation to create a bulk-buying
program for prescription drugs? YES
Candidates Forum
27th Congressional district/145th Assembly
district/146th Assembly district
Billions of taxpayer dollars are poured into
our health care system
Yet 45 Million Americans Are Uninsured!
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
6:30 pm to 8 pm
Buffalo Irish Center
245 Abbott Road, Buffalo
Issues to be addressed:
- Medicaid
- Medicare
- Family Health Plus
- Child Health Plus
- Prescription drugs
- Universal health care
- Associated Health Plans
- Nurse to patient staffing rations
- Conversions of non-profit insurers to for-profit status
For more information, call 816-1168
WNYHCC Members:
AFGE (AFL-CIO) 3367 HUD
American Cancer Society
ASPIRE
Christian Medical and Dental Association
Citizen Action of New York
Civil Service Employees Association, Region 6
Coalition for Economic Justice
Communications Workers of America, Local 1168
Erie Niagara Council, Alliance for Retired Americans
National MS Society (WNY/ NE PA)
New York State United Teachers
WNY Council on Occupational Safety and Health
Western New York Peace Center
Working together for the same goal:
HEALTH CARE FOR ALL
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