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Debate over freezing hospital executive bonuses in distressed Cos County divides committee
Summary
Senate Bill 664 would freeze bonuses and raises for 18 months after workforce reductions at hospitals in a designated distressed county. The sponsor framed the bill as keeping public money accountable; North Country Health Care board members and hospital leaders said it would harm governance, recruitment and grant competitiveness.
Senate Bill 664, introduced to address what its sponsor called the use of public money for executive compensation following workforce reductions, drew hours of testimony from local hospital board members, residents and industry representatives.
Sponsor David Rocheford told the committee he sought to ensure taxpayer-funded payments are used for care, not executive bonuses after layoffs: "Where do these Medicaid dollars go?" he asked, and cited multiple examples of executive pay in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to argue that an 18-month freeze after workforce reductions is a reasonable accountability mechanism.
Opposition from North Country Health Care and allied…
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