NEW YORK, NY —Communities slated to lose hospitals get a chance to talk back today. The New York State Assembly holds hearings in the very communities that could lose their hospitals. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

Officially, there would be only 9 closures state-wide out of more than 200 hospitals scrutinized by the Commission for Health Care Facilities in the 21st century. But the real number of proposed closures is closer to 20, when mergers and other changes are taken into account.

The Senate, Assembly and governor must accept or reject the list in its entirety. Governor Pataki has already approved it, and now the legislature must act before the end of the year or the recommended closures and mergers will automatically take effect. The sweeping overhaul is intended to be a crucial step in reining in Medicaid and other healthcare expenses.

Hospital advocates say the proposals are not as drastic as feared but will still adversely affect many communities across the state. Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have both expressed concerns about the closures, but observers think they’re likely to approve the list. Doing so would help qualify the state to receive $1.5 billion of federal aide. For WNYC, I’m Fred Mogul.