WPCNR'S ADAM IN ALBANY. Weekly Column By 89th District NYS Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley. August 12, 2003: Seniors have helped make Westchester the great place it is today. That is why one of my top objectives as a State Assemblyman is to help them spend their retirement years in the comfort of their own homes, with access to the health care and prescription drugs they need. We must ensure that seniors are able to remain vibrant members of our community.

Adam Bradley on the Campaign Trail, 2002 WPCNR  News File Photo

Keeping health care affordable

Many Westchester seniors already spend too much of their income on out-of-pocket health costs. That is why I have been working to help seniors receive the vital medications they depend on by blocking the governor’s fee increases to the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) Program and by sponsoring legislation to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for prescriptions, which would prevent co-payments from exceeding the cost of the prescribed drug (A.6851). I also sponsored a bill to establish a senior vision program within the New York Office for the Aging, which will provide services to seniors who suffer from visual impairments (A.2345).

Protecting hospitals and nursing homes

The governor called for major cuts to Medicaid and other health care spending, including imposing a “sick tax,” when hospitals and nursing homes are already losing money and facing severe staffing shortages. I refused to accept the governor’s budget and voted to override his vetoes, restoring over $40.5 million to local hospitals. Furthermore, the Assembly’s refusal to go along with the governor’s so-called “Medicaid swap,” saved Westchester County over $8.3 million.

Additionally, I worked for a budget that restored $2.5 million to the Westchester County Department of Health, which serves as a frontline defense against emerging diseases like SARS, West Nile and potential bioterror attacks, and continues to assist in the battle against Lyme Disease.

Fighting for property tax relief

We already pay some of the highest property taxes in New York State, and the governor’s budget would have made it even worse by freezing the STAR tax relief program. That’s why I voted for a budget that saved the STAR program. I also sponsored legislation that will help seniors get the STAR school tax relief they are due. The bill (A.7873) allows seniors to use 2002 income tax returns instead of 2001 returns to meet the income requirements for this year’s enhanced STAR program, providing immediate relief for this year’s retiring eligible seniors, who may have seen their incomes drop off this year. I urge the Senate and the governor to do what is right and pass this bill.

Working together we can keep improving our community and quality of life. I will continue fighting for Westchester’s seniors to ensure that their retirement years are filled with families and friends, not high medical expenses and property tax bills.