Healthcare groups soften attacks on New York governor's budget cuts

A blind man who appeared in a television commercial asking New York Gov. David A. Paterson, who is also legally blind, "Why are you doing this to me?" has been taken out of an advertising campaign paid for by healthcare interest groups. The move represents a softer approach by 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and the Greater New York Hospital Association, who have mounted a multimillion-dollar media campaign against the governor's budget proposal. Paterson, who has proposed trimming $3.5 billion from the state's healthcare budget, has said that the cuts are necessary, given the projected deficit of more than $13 billion for the coming fiscal year.