New York state’s hospitals and health systems provide world-class care, treating 2.4 million patients annually, performing more than 1.9 million surgeries, treating more than 45.6 million outpatients, including 7.5 million emergency room visits, delivering 250,000 babies and providing nearly $2 billion in mostly unsubsidized care to the uninsured and under-insured.

Our not-for-profit and public health care providers are proud to save lives, cure the ill, provide dignified end-of-life care, and improve the overall health of our communities. Yet, our important mission is threatened by inadequate reimbursement from government and private payers and from a proposed "sick tax" in Governor Pataki’s executive budget.

In 2002, the most recent year for which data is available, more than half of the hospitals in New York State lost money providing patient care. Collectively, we have lost $1.8 billion in the past five years. Still, the proposed budget would remove more than $200 million a year from our health care system in the form of a tax on care for the elderly, inform and ill. These individuals did not choose to be sick or in need of health services. Their care should not be taxed.

Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center treats more than 242,000 patients each year. Each patient is unique, presenting with a different medical history even if he or she shares symptoms with another patient. Moreover, even the same patient changes from day to day, visit to visit, requiring calibrated changes in care.

To provide personalized care, Good Samaritan employs more than 900 nurses, almost 200 technicians and technologists and 330 food service, housekeeping and maintenance staff. Because the Medical Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, it must have three shifts of staff available every day of every week. To ensure access to round-the-clock quality care costs more than $180,000,000 in payroll and benefits. In addition, Good Samaritan has more than 700 physicians on its voluntary staff.

The Healthcare Financial Management Association ranks New York hospitals last in the nation in terms of having access to capital. Health care economists recommend an annual operating margin of at least four percent so that hospitals have sufficient funds to invest in improving patient care by buying state-of-the-art technology and constantly updating their facilities. Few hospitals in New York can meet this goal; in fact, more than half New York’s hospitals have negative margins.

Seven hospitals across the state closed in 2003 along with more than a dozen long-term care facilities. Others have announced closure plans. Our health care system is vitally important to our communities not only because of the care provided, but also because the health care industry accounts for 10 percent of our state’s employment base.

Further taxes and cuts in health care would only damage the very communities that our hospitals, nursing homes and home care agencies are there to serve.

The writer is President and CEO

Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center