Kathy Hochul on Health Care

	Kathy Hochul on Health Care

We need to expand involuntary commitment into a hospital

We've already invested 1 billion dollars into reforming our mental health system, more support than any time in New York history. But we know it's not enough. Our laws must be even stronger. And that's why I'm willing to stand up and say we need to expand involuntary commitment into a hospital to include someone who does not possess the mental capacity to care for themselves such as refusing help with the basics: clothing, food, shelter, medical care. Source: 2025 State of the State Address to the New York legislature , Jan 14, 2025

Require hospitals to screen for mental health conditions

I'm proposing comprehensive reforms to our behavioral health system. Starting in 2024 we will require hospitals to screen patients with mental health conditions for risks like suicide, violence, substance abuse, and other complex needs. We'll also require that follow-up psychiatric care be coordinated before patients can leave the hospital. And let's significantly expand mental health courts, which are proven to reduce recidivism. Source: 2024 State of the State Address to New York legislature , Jan 10, 2024

$1B and critical policy changes for mental health care

I'm proud to announce we will be investing more than $1 billion dollars and making critical policy changes to finally and fully meet the mental health needs of our state. We will add 1,000 inpatient psychiatric beds, funding 150 new beds in State facilities and bringing 850 psych beds in hospitals back on line. This is more than half of the beds we have lost since 2014 and they will serve more than 10,000 New Yorkers each year. These actions are overdue. Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the New York legislature , Jan 10, 2023

Pay healthcare worked a retention bonus up to $3000

We must stop the current hemorrhaging of healthcare workers and we're going to do it not just by SAYING we owe them a debt of gratitude but actually PAYING them the debt we owe, starting with a retention bonus of up to $3,000 to our health and direct care workers and we will drive higher salaries throughout the healthcare workforce, so those doing God's work here on earth are no longer doing it for minimum wage. Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the New York legislature , Jan 5, 2022

Support for ACA contraception mandate cost her re-election

When I was in Congress, in the minority, we spent time, at least 35 times, maybe 40 debating whether we should repeal the Affordable Care Act. If I voted once to repeal that, I'd still be a member of Congress. Absolutely, that became a defining issue in my narrow loss, as well as my support for the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act. That is what I was--and I will use the term--crucified. As a Catholic, I can say that. Source: City & State NY on 2022 New York gubernatorial race , Mar 25, 2018

OpEd: Changing Medicare scared the heck out of seniors

Congressman Ryan committed a major mistake. Ryan scared the heck out of seniors. Like it or not, the majority of seniors love Medicare. When you start talking in ways that make older Americans nervous, it's bad politics.

So what did the Democrats do? They turned Paul Ryan and his Medicare proposal into a punching bag, and Republicans lost a special congressional election in upstate New York that they should have won handily. The Democratic candidate, Kathy Hochul, bludgeoned her Republican opponent Jane Corwin with Mediscare campaign of TV ads that featured an old lady in a wheelchair being shoved off a cliff. The ad explained that the reason grandma was being tossed over the ledge was because of "Paul Ryan and his friends in Congress." Unfair? You bet. Good politics? Absolutely.

Source: Time to Get Tough, by Donald Trump, p. 78-79 , Dec 5, 2011

Don't replace Medicare with vouchers

The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle says "Hochul strongly opposes GOP plans to replace Medicare with vouchers for private insurance." [Kathy's response ad about her opponent's attack ad]: "Jane Corwin supports the Republican proposal for Medicare, which would turn it into a voucher system. Hochul strongly opposes GOP plans to replace Medicare with vouchers. Corwin remains a staunch supporter" of the plan. A sign that Corwin is a strict GOP partisan." Source: 2012 House campaign website, kathyhochul.com, Press Release , May 16, 2011

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