After Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a piece of legislation that would have overhauled the system used to vet hospital closures and service reductions in New York, lawmakers began gearing up to reignite a five-year-long fight on this issue. Lawmakers are planning to reintroduce the bill this session and address concerns outlined in Hochul’s veto. The Local Input in Community Healthcare Act, or LICH Act, would subject full hospital closures and certain service reductions to new transparency, public engagement and oversight requirements. In her veto, Hochul shared concerns over the length of the period required to notify the state before a closure: Hospital leaders would have had to notify the state at least 270 days before closing an entire hospital and at least 210 days for cuts affecting emergency, maternity or mental health units. Bill sponsor Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon said the veto was frustrating given that the details in the legislation were negotiated with lobbyists in the hospital industry. “We know that this is something that resonates with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle throughout the state,” Simon said in an interview. “Our goal needs to be about protecting the public’s rights and public health. That is our first order of business as legislators, it’s about having access to care.” In the veto, Hochul said she plans to direct the state Department of Health to make changes to requirements for the state’s hospital closure and service reduction process. But lawmakers like Sen. Gustavo Rivera, who sponsored the bill, worry those changes will not be enough. “I have a bill, but if the governor wants to do it through executive action, God bless,” Rivera told POLITICO in an interview. “Right now there is no community involvement or community engagement. We’ve expressed concerns that are similar to this in the past and the administration did not make those changes.” Currently, hospitals only need to obtain the state health commissioner’s approval to permanently close, and the process largely unfolds behind closed doors. Lawmakers say they would like to see closures face the same scrutiny as costly hospital projects, which require a discussion and vote at the state Public Health and Health Planning Council’s public meetings. IN OTHER NEWS: — Nearly 1,000 NYC Health + Hospitals doctors are preparing to go on strike next Monday in what would be the largest work stoppage by attending physicians in New York City history, the union Doctors Council SEIU announced last week. The strike would affect four hospitals in the NYC Health + Hospitals system: Jacobi, North Central Bronx, Queens and South Brooklyn. "We do not take the decision to strike lightly," Frances Quee, president of Doctors Council SEIU and a Health + Hospitals pediatrician, said in a statement. "We have been negotiating in good-faith for over a year to reach an agreement that addresses the crisis of dedicated doctors leaving our hospitals, but it’s clear our employers are not prioritizing the long-term health of these hospitals or our communities.” In an effort to avert the work stoppage, Mayor Eric Adams on Friday asked the union’s doctors and their employers to commit to 60 more days at the bargaining table with a “mutually agreeable” mediator and offered the assistance of Commissioner of Labor Relations Renee Campion. ON THE AGENDA: — Wednesday at 10 a.m. The New York State Advisory Council on Lead Poisoning Prevention will meet. — Friday at 1 p.m. The New York City Council’s health, hospitals and civil service and labor committees host an oversight hearing on the potential Doctors Council SEIU strike at NYC Health + Hospitals. GOT TIPS? Send story ideas and feedback to Maya Kaufman at mkaufman@politico.com and Katelyn Cordero at kcordero@politico.com. Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.
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