SUNY hospitals are very well managed. As public institutions, they are held accountable by the public. A recent independent study by Price Water House Coopers has shown that SUNY hospitals operate more efficiently than 75% of their peer academic medical centers. Privatizing the SUNY hospitals, with New York State’s policy makers and citizens surrendering direct oversight of these institutions, will result in a loss of accountability.
These hospitals are important to the economy in the regions that they serve. Upstate Medical University is Central New York’s only academic medical center as well as the area's largest employer, with an economic impact of over $1.5 billion annually to the Central NY economy. Downstate HSC is the fifth largest employer in Brooklyn, creating more than $800 million in revenues for the region. In 2004-2005 this medical University attracted over $55 million in research funding. Stony Brook is the largest single site employer on Long Island, generating nearly 12,000 full-time and part-time jobs, with a regional economic impact of $2.5 billion.
Changing the governance of these institutions from public to private doesn’t necessarily save money. It will, however, endanger the medical care of our poor and uninsured citizens, lay on the line vital but expensive specialized services, jeopardize affordable public medical education and medical research and imperil accountability.
The evidence shows the need to continue to allow SUNY to manage these important health care institutions and provide the highest quality medical education and health care for New York's students and citizens.
The real problem is that these institutions have not received the funding they need in order to become self-sufficient. Privatization is not the solution. It will only destroy the SUNY hospitals and the communities that rely on them for medical care, medical education, and the economic impact of they provide. Increased state funding is the solution. I understand that NYS is trying to get out from under the burden of health care, but our teaching, research and health care institutions should not suffer as a result. If NY State can't allocate our tax dollars for research and development, education and health care, where are our tax dollars going? Will other teaching institutions of SUNY also be cut loose to sink or swim without NYS support?
Should quality health care be available only to those who can afford to pay for it, or is it a basic human right of all our citizens? Do the lives of people who cannot afford expensive medical care have less value than the lives of people who have the money to pay for it? Should hospitals, educational institutions and research facilities operate primarily to make a profit, or to carry out their mission of patient care, education, and research? Does our health care system exist to provide care for our citizens, or to make money for insurance companies?
I implore you now write Governor Spitzer to act to derail the now mandated Berger Commission's proposals and keep the SUNY hospitals and Health Sciences Centers in the public sector where they belong, before it's too late.
For more information about the Berger Commission Report, visit the UUP web site at http://www.uupinfo.org.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
