Apr 09, 2007 — One of the fiercest debates in Albany this year was the clash over healthcare spending. An overall plan from a commission created during the Pataki administration will close some hospitals. Governor Spitzer, a Democrat, tried to push through deep cuts in Medicaid. The Republican-controlled state Senate restored most of that money. On Friday, we spoke with Dr. John Rugge, CEO of the Hudson Headwaters Healthcare Network and a member of Spitzer's healthcare advisory panel. Rugge says he thinks the Governor's plan to decentralize the health care system will improve medical care in New York state, and the budget was a first step. But Chandler Ralph, CEO of Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, says Spitzer's plan failed to distinguish between wealthy downstate hospitals and more isolated, rural hospitals upstate. Ralph spoke with Brian Mann. NOTE: AMC has facilities in Keene, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and Wilmington.