Cara Matthews writes on Pressconnects.com - “The Assembly and Senate passed emergency budget legislation Monday that contains $775 million in permanent reductions to health care this fiscal year.

Gov. David Paterson included the reductions in weekly legislation he has been proposing to keep government operations going until he and legislators agree on a budget, which is now more than two months late. Negotiations have been complicated by disagreements over how to close several billion dollars of the state’s $9.2 billion deficit.

Another element of this week’s legislation gives the state Insurance Department the authority to review health-insurance premium hikes before they are implemented and prevent unnecessary increases.”

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