NYS Lieutenant Governor speaks at Medicaid rally in Binghamton
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Dozens of protesters were joined by New York State's number two in charge yesterday to condemn alleged efforts to cut Medicaid.
Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado was the featured speaker at a rally organized by Citizen Action and Indivisible Binghamton outside the offices of Broome County Department of Social Services on Main Street in Binghamton.
DSS is where people sign up for Medicaid, the federal program that provides health insurance to the poor and disabled.
Delgado and the progressive groups accuse Republicans of wanting to slash Medicaid funding, jeopardizing access to healthcare for those who rely on it.
The Lieutenant Governor says it comes down to a simple factor of right and wrong.
'Our democracy is built on a moral idea. Democracy is one person, one vote. We are all created equal irrespective of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation. It is a moral, moral idea,' said Delgado.
Delgado's visit coincides with recent news that he will not run for re-election on the same ticket as Governor Hochul next year. He also has not ruled out a challenge to Hochul in a Democratic primary.
Broome County Republican Chairman Benji Federman says Delgado campaigning against Hochul is indicative of the failures of the Democratic administration in Albany.
Federman says Democratic handling of healthcare issues, like the current transition of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistant Program, or CDPAP, to a single financial intermediary, is what's driving people to leave the state.
'You see the CDPAP program going through dysfunction right now as people are transitioning from one policy to the next. I really want to shine a bright light on the failures of Governor Kathy Hochul. These folks may be talking about the federal administration, but I really want to hone in on the failures at the state level here,' said Federman.
Republicans in Washington are reportedly looking to find $800 million in savings from the Medicaid program.
They have argued that it can be achieved through efficiencies and the reduction of waste without impacting medical care for its recipients.
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