The Trump administration is leaving to the states much of the response to the coronavirus pandemic, from obtaining ventilators for patients in critical conditions to personal protective equipment (PPE) for essential workers. Not only is the Federal government not helping provide supplies, they are also not providing financial support.
Kaiser Health News reported, (4/10/20 writers Jay Hancock, Phil Galewitz and Elizabeth Lucas), “HHS confirmed Friday it would give hospitals and doctors money according to their historical share of revenue from the Medicare program for seniors — not according to their coronavirus burden.” The report further states that “States such as Minnesota, Nebraska and Montana, which the pandemic has touched relatively lightly, are getting more than $300,000 per reported COVID-19 case in the $30 billion, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis. On the other hand, New York, the worst-hit state, would receive only $12,000 per case. Florida is getting $132,000 per case. KHN relied on a state breakdown provided to the House Ways and Means Committee by HHS along with COVID-19 cases tabulated by The New York Times.”
Western New York needs a voice, a representative, in Washington that will provide equitable distribution of funds and stop the waste of this administration.
Billie Owens in The Batavian wrote (4/4/20) “The false tweet about 30 ventilators being confiscated from a Buffalo area hospital comes on the heels of Jacobs voting against paid leave for workers that lost their job due to the coronavirus crisis. The Jacobs family business, Delaware North, also placed almost 2,000 employees on temporary leave.”
Western New York needs Nate McMurray in Congress to support our essential workers, provide equitable funding, and stop the misinformation and fearmongering.
