Dear Neighbor:

As your new Assembly representative, I have fought to reduce the Medicaid burden on local taxpayers. This year’s on-time budget brings relief with a soft cap on the growth of local Medicaid costs. The Assembly’s original proposal, the Taxpayer Relief Act of 2005, called for a hard cap on Medicaid growth to save Broome County more than $6.4 million in 2006. The compromise we made with the governor takes a step toward easing the burden Medicaid places on local taxpayers by providing over $5.1 million in savings for 2006.

We also worked to save you money while protecting care by:

• accelerating state takeover of Family Health Plus costs – which will save Broome County taxpayers $1.9 million in 2005
• drastically cutting the out-of-pocket expenses that the governor sought to impose on Family Health Plus enrollees through significantly higher co-pays, as well as the governor’s attempts to cut basic benefits like vision, dental and hospice care
• creating a Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century to protect services and eliminate excess capacity at health care facilities
• increasing efforts to collect $20 million pharmaceutical companies owe the state
• creating a preferred drug list that gives physicians final say in prescribing medicine – while saving taxpayers money

Together we can rein in ballooning budgets, while ensuring the vital services you need.