‘We’re not going to let it happen,” vowed Gov. Cuomo at last week’s 1199SEIU rally to oppose repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
But what can he do to stop it? The governor has a lot of power, but in Washington, he’s at best a cheerleader, at worst a beggar.
He has some leverage over the Empire State’s members of Congress — but Democrats are already united in defense of ObamaCare, and Republicans in rejecting it.
Yes, the line was a sure applause-getter at an 1199 event — the union pretty much lives off of public spending on New York’s vast hospital sector. It’s a huge force in Albany — but in Congress, not so much.
New York Democrats and all too many Republicans have long danced to 1199’s tune. Thus Cuomo’s other promise at the rally at Montefiore hospital in The Bronx — namely $50 million more in state aid to Montefiore, a good chunk of which will end up in 1199 members’ pockets.
But that’s chump change if the replacement of ObamaCare does mean far less health-care cash for New York. Then the push will be on for Cuomo and the Legislature to somehow make up for lost billions.
The price of pleasing the union may be about to go up, big time.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
