We got two emails from local Assemblyman:
Thank you for contacting me about your fine work on universal health care, probably the closest to a just model of providing health care. Your blog is informative and impressive. I would suggest contacting your representative at the federal level, Congresswoman Nita Lowey concerning the Kucinich proposal.
Please keep up the good works. Perhaps I can look forward to working with you in the future on this and other issues.Regards,
Adam Bradley
Member of Assembly
and
Although the State Assembly does not consider congressional bills like the one you have referenced above, we do influence healthcare policy on the state level. I appreciate you contacting me to express your thoughts on healthcare. I am especially concerned with improving our healthcare infrastructure, lowering costs by eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse, and greatly reducing the cost of prescription drugs.
I remain committed to ensuring that all of New Yorkers have access to the best healthcare on the planet – and I will continue to advocate on your behalf. Be assured that I will keep your thoughts on this issue in mind during future Assembly discussions.
Please be aware that I strongly support reappropriating funds budgeted for homecare workforce recruitment that were never disbursed, in order to tackle the crippling the nursing shortage crisis in New York. To protect our seniors, I have voted against budget cuts to Medicaid and reimbursements for certified home-health agencies, long-term care programs and personal-care program providers.
As you may be aware, there have been recent proposals for reductions in funding to healthcare that represent Governor Paterson’s original two percent across-the-board cuts and his subsequent proposal for six percent cuts, which were withdrawn during Tuesday’s special session. As our state faces some extremely difficult budget choices during the worst economic crisis in recent memory, I was dismayed that Albany insiders chose to adopt the ‘three-men-in-a-room’ approach to solving the problems our state.
Successfully tackling these challenging economic issues requires the collective participation of all the elected leaders in a spirit of bi-partisan cooperation. Going forward, I will continue to challenge traditional Albany to ensure our state government operates effectively.
Thank you again for your comments. If you have any questions or further concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Gregory R. Ball
Member of the Assembly
99th District
Pretty cool, right? Remember, it is very easy to contact your representatives and Senators. Go to the Congress website. They have everything you need.
