Outraged over the death of Manuel Lanza – an uninsured man who was denied lifesaving surgery at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital – lawmakers are ripping state health officials and promising to introduce a “Manny’s Law” to prevent similar tragedies.
City Councilwoman Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) said she would propose a measure to require hospitals to inform patients that they can’t be turned away simply because they’re uninsured.
That was the tragedy that befell Lanza, a 24-year-old Wendy’s worker who died when malformed blood vessels in his head burst – after officials at the hospital put off an operation that would have corrected the problem.
Manny’s Law would also require hospitals to keep precise records of the number of uninsured patients they do treat.
“One of the reasons we want to pass this bill is because we heard so many reports of people being turned away from hospitals when they were uninsured,” said Quinn, who chairs the council’s Health Committee.
“And when they go to the state for help, they just seemed to run into brick walls. The state doesn’t take any action to hold hospitals accountable. No matter who goes to them, no matter how tragic and potentially life-threatening their story is, the state either ignores them or finds in favor of the hospitals. This bill will help create a true safety net.”
The announcement came a day after The Post reported how St. Luke’s -Roosevelt refused to schedule surgery for Lanza, telling his mother, “When you get insurance, we’ll take care of your son.”
The mild-mannered native of Shirley, L.I., died last Jan. 6 when the blood vessels burst – a well-known complication of his condition.
Yesterday, his devastated family was grateful to hear that someone in a position of power had finally chosen to listen.
“I think that’s wonderful,” said Lanza’s father, Rey Prieto. “This is what this is all about. We don’t want anybody to have to go through this, whether it is an aunt, an uncle, a sister or a brother.
“We’re the strongest country in the world. We worry about what’s going on elsewhere, but we need to worry about what’s going on here. If she’s willing to take that step, I’m behind her 100 percent.”
Meanwhile, Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan), chairman of that body’s Health Committee, said he has been trying for years to force hospitals to treat the uninsured.
A bill co-sponsored by Gottfried and Peter Granis (D-Manhattan) would require hospitals to provide such services either for free or on a sliding scale depending on the patient’s income level.
The bill was introduced in 2004 and 2005 in the Assembly but was never taken up by the Senate.
Gottfried said he and Granis would try again in 2006.
Gottfried also slammed cuts by the Pataki administration that he claimed have stripped the state’s Health Department of the resources to properly investigate and police hospitals.
“There is nothing wrong with the state Health Department that a good election won’t cure,” he said.
“The state Health Department in the last 10 years has lost an extraordinary number of career professionals, and the Pataki administration has significantly cut back on a lot of what the department used to be committed to.”
A spokesman for the Pataki administration did not return a call seeking comment.
St. Luke’s-Roosevelt has declined to comment, citing the possibility of a lawsuit by the family.
stephanie.gaskell@nypost.com