Allegro
Legislative Update
Volume CII, No. 2February, 2002
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION RATES FAR TOO LOW
CRITICAL FUNDING RESTORED TO GIULIANI’S LAST BUDGET
FEBRUARY SPECIAL ELECTIONS SET
SPITZER URGES CONSUMERS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HEALTH CARE ASSISTANCE
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE REACHES 5.4 PERCENT
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION RATES FAR TOO LOW
Raising workers’ compensation benefits will be high on this year’s legislative agenda for the New York State AFL-CIO. The federation points out that it has been more than ten years since the last increase, and that the tragic events of Sept. 11 have made the consequences of the state’s failure to raise rates very clear. “Those collecting workers’ compensation benefits from workplace accidents at the World Trade Center, or families collecting benefits for a deceased spouse, are receiving 1992 level benefits in the year 2002,” it says. “The New York State AFL-CIO is committed to fighting for an increase in Workers’ Compensation benefits. An indexed benefit increase is long overdue and must be sought this session.”
CRITICAL FUNDING RESTORED TO GIULIANI’S LAST BUDGET
The New York City Council succeeded in restoring funding for a number of crucial program areas – $10 million for libraries, $9 million for cultural institutions, $3.8 million for the City University of New York and $1.4 million for parks – before approving Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s last budget for New York City. The budget eliminated a $1.3 billion gap created largely because of a drop in tax revenues triggered by the aftershocks of the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center.
FEBRUARY SPECIAL ELECTIONS SET
On Feb. 12, special elections will be held for the 56th Assembly District (formerly held by Al Vann, who is now a New York City Council member); the 60th Assembly District (formerly held by Eric Vitalliano, who was elected to a judgeship); the 20th Senate District (formerly held by Marty Markowitz, who was elected Brooklyn Borough President); the 26th Senate District (formerly held by Roy Goodman, who was appointed President of the United Nations Development Corporation) and the 73rd Assembly District (which is being vacated by John Ravitz so he can run for the 26th Senate District).
SPITZER URGES CONSUMERS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HEALTH CARE ASSISTANCE
New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer released a report in late December that identifies common problems that New Yorkers are experiencing with managed care and proposes new consumer protections to improve access to health care.
The report is based on a review of more than 10,000 consumer calls and complaints received over an 18-month period by the Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program, the statewide education and direct assistance service for HMO and other health plan members in New York State. MCCAP is administered by Spitzer’s Health Care Bureau and is funded by the NYS Legislature.
Some of the problems the report identified are: limits placed on access to prescription drug coverage; refusal to cover referrals to out-of-network specialists; lack of clear reasons and rationales for coverage denials; and insufficient knowledge of individual plan details and consumer appeal procedures.
The entire report may be accessed on the Attorney General’s web site at www.oag.state.ny.us or by contacting the Health Care Bureau at (212) 416-8828. Consumers living in the City of New York may access local assistance by contacting New York City Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program (NYC MCCAP) at (212) 614-5500. Consumers who live outside the five boroughs may get help by contacting the Legal Aid Society at (888) 500-2455.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE REACHES 5.4 PERCENT
The New York State Department of Labor announced that the number of private sector jobs fell by 25,600 in November, to 7,128,900 (seasonally adjusted). The DOL said these numbers reflect the latest job losses associated with the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and further weakening of the nation’s economy.
From November 2000 to November 2001, the number of private sector jobs in the state declined by 92,200, or 1.3 percent, compared to a drop of 1.2 percent nationwide. The state’s unemployment rate in November (5.4 percent) was below the national rate, but was up from the prior month and from November 2000.
Industries that were hit hardest include finance, insurance and real estate, non-durable goods manufacturing, durable goods manufacturing, retail trade, wholesale trade, and transportation and public utilities. In the service sector (which also includes the entertainment industry), employment in business services and vacation and recreation-related industries dropped, but this was offset by increased hiring for health and social services.