WPCNR'S ADAM IN ALBANY. By Adam T. Bradley, Assemblyman, 89th District: April 22, 2004: There’s more than just money at stake when insurance and HMO executives refuse to cover medical treatments. Their decisions sometimes mean the difference between life and death. That’s why I sponsored legislation, which recently passed the Assembly, holding health maintenance organizations and insurance companies accountable for denying or withholding necessary patient care.
This bill will ensure that important medical decisions will be made by the people most qualified to make them, and help ensure HMO’s put patient care above profits by holding insurance companies and HMO’s liable for the consequences of denying or withholding treatment (A.5733). The measure also prohibits insurers from retaliating against health care providers who criticize them for delays or refusals to cover treatment.
I am also continuing my efforts to ensure Westchester’s families are receiving quality, affordable health care by fighting for a fair, responsible budget. Westchester County Medical Center is facing severe financial difficulties already. In Westchester, we can’t afford to sacrifice the quality of health care available to our families.
The medical center, the largest hospital in the seven-county Hudson Valley region, provides critical care that local hospitals are unable to provide and is one of Westchester’s largest employers. The governor’s budget threatens to seriously jeopardize the quality of care in Westchester County and may further hinder the medical center’s ability to thrive.
I will continue fighting to ensure our families get the care and respect they deserve, and support legislation that ensures health care providers can make patient care their first priority. Corporate interests must be held accountable when they deny necessary medical treatment from a patient.
