Letter from Chip Northrup

Red Vote May Be Bad for Bassett

Otsego County went red in the last election. That means that most Bassett patients either did not vote in the last election or they voted Republican. Voting and not voting has consequences where healthcare is concerned. Many Bassett patients have jeopardized their healthcare in order to give trillions in tax breaks to the wealthiest taxpayers.

In America, you either get the healthcare that you can afford or the healthcare that you vote for. All of the proposed cuts in Medicare and Medicaid were outlined in Project 2025. If you voted red in the last election, you voted for cuts in your healthcare and you may have voted Bassett into bankruptcy.

The Republicans’ budget bill cuts Medicare and Medicaid funding by approximately $1 trillion over 10 years while ballooning the deficit by $3 trillion. Hospitals receive an average of 20 percent of their revenue from Medicaid and 25 percent from Medicare, for a total reimbursement of 45 percent. Bassett’s government-subsidized healthcare, primarily Medicaid and Medicare, is 75 percent of revenue.

If the Republicans gut Medicare and Medicaid, many people—including the Republican voters that depend on Medicare and Medicaid—will either go into debt for their healthcare or avoid treatment. Your well-being may depend on how you vote. Bassett’s solvency may depend on it.

Chip Northrup
Cooperstown