WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Charles Schumer Wednesday said that health centers across Upstate New York stand to lose $65 million in critical funding due to a new federal plan that reduces federal Medicaid reimbursements to health clinics and hospital outpatient departments. The proposed changes would severely endanger a wide range of health care providers, such as hospital outpatient clinics, dialysis centers, school-based health centers, health centers that provide dental care, childrens’ hospitals, family planning clinics, substance abuse counseling and mental health clinics. Hundreds of thousands of Upstate New Yorkers who rely on the clinics in Upstate New York could lose access to necessary health services if the funding cuts are implemented.

In an effort to ensure that Upstate New York residents continue to have access to essential health care services, Schumer called CMS Administrator Kerry Weems late last night and also wrote a letter with U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton to President Bush to demand the immediate suspension of the proposed rule.

Below is a region-by-region breakdown of the projected impact of the proposed rule.

• In the Capital Region, the rule would slash $10.3 million from 13 clinics.
• In Central New York, the rule would slash $9.6 million from 17 clinics.
• In the Hudson Valley, the rule would slash $20.9 million from 31 clinics.
• In the North Country, the rule would slash $3.7 million from 14 clinics.
• In the Rochester-Finger Lakes, the rule would slash $10.3 million from 25 clinics.
• In the Southern Tier, the rule would slash $1.2 million from 8 clinics.
• In Western New York, the rule would slash $8.6 million from 18 clinics.