We Need Your Voice Now

Dear Doctors:
 
    This is a critical time in national healthcare reform.  Most of us realize that our healthcare system and its access and delivery needed improvement.  There are many good things that are part of healthcare reform.  However, we must act now to ensure that our Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) and New York's public safety net system is not harmed.
 
    Attached please find a copy of a letter I wrote to our New York U.S. Senators and Congressional Representatives.  I have also written our State and Local elected leaders to urge them to contact the NY Congressional Delegation to do right by New York and our patients.  Also attached is a newspaper story covering this subject on which I was interviewed.
 
    What we ask each of you is that if you can just take some time to call the U.S. Senators from New York State and the Congressional Representatives from New York City (at the numbers listed below and attached) and tell them to not harm HHC or our patients and communities.  Feel free to use any of our letter or your own words.  What is important is that you call as soon as possible to both their legislative and district offices.  Tell them "Do Not Harm New York City or our HHC public hospitals and facilities by losing Medicaid funding to other states that did not care for the uninsured like we do, by adding an additional $1 billion in annual Medicaid costs on New York, by cutting between $800 million to more than $1 billion a year in DSH (Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital) payments, and by causing cuts in funding to hospitals and nursing homes as well as closing of clinics and other critical healthcare services.  Eliminate the Senate bill’s unfair burdens placed on New York City and negotiate a conference bill that is fair for New York."  Again, the contact phone numbers are listed below and are attached.

    Please let us know that you made the calls and how it went.  Make our doctor voices heard!
   
Sincerely,
 
Barry Liebowitz, M.D., President
Doctors Council SEIU

                    New York City Congressional Delegation