Gov. Andrew "Scrooge" Cuomo
Remote Area Medical was founded in 1985 to provide medical care in developing nations. But now, the need here at home has grown so great that more than 80 percent of their work is in the U.S. They've held more than 700 three-to-five day clinics offering medical, dental, and vision services at no cost to hundreds of thousands of patients. They were ready to bring their clinic to serve more than 7,000 people in New York City on November 28, an event that would have been RAM's large clinic ever held. But just two weeks before it was scheduled to open, the clinic had to be cancelled. Why? Because Gov. Andrew Cuomo
says it's unnecessary.
[T]o provide all the free care they had hoped to in New York would have required a special waiver from the governor's office of provisions contained in Article 28 of the health code, which pertain to the operation of stationary health facilities. RAM is mobile, but builds into spaces, and so falls between the cracks of the law.
Waiving this provision was entirely at the governor's discretion. The offices of Senators Harry Reid, Tim Kaine (both of whom who have seen RAM clinics firsthand), and Chuck Schumer called Cuomo and the NY Public Health Department directly to petition for the clinic to go forward. The reason provided to RAM for the clinic being scuttled: New Yorkers have all the health care they need.
New Yorkers have all the health care they need. More likely New Yorkers have a governor with presidential aspirations that are, of late, more than a little bruised, and who is willing to make this ludicrous statement in order avoid publicly presenting the image of several thousand uninsured standing in a parking lot in the Big Apple.
Would Cuomo put his presidential ambitions ahead of the people of New York. Of course he would! It could have been worse, barely. At least Cuomo didn't go full Republican by adding "they can always go to the emergency room," to his excuse for canceling. By giving RAM just two week's notice that he wouldn't grant the waiver, Cuomo insured that it can't happen at all. The organization can't find an alternate location by the November 28, when they have 3,000 volunteers lined up to provide essential care. Which Cuomo doesn't think is necessary, if it might make him look bad.