State Sen. Darrel Aubertine’s campaign is calling his opponent’s stance on the healthcare “vague and potentially devastating proposals from Patty Ritchie to gut healthcare for children, seniors, and struggling families in Central New York and the North Country.”

“Fraud and waste cannot be tolerated, but closing off healthcare options for our elderly, the middle class and the struggling families will increase suffering and cost us jobs,” Aubertine said. “We have increased our efforts to drive down waste in the system, saving the taxpayers $700 million. This is where we must continue to focus our efforts and find additional savings, but making cuts to healthcare services with an axe will devastate our community.”

Aubertine’s campaign says that Ritchie has refused to release details of her proposals to cut spending on healthcare in New York.

On Tuesday, a Watertown Daily Times editorial criticized Ritchie for being too vague about her policy positions. The Times wrote, “Mrs. Ritchie has to explain how she expects to add costly new programs while not increasing taxes. District residents also need to know what programs serving north country interests she would be willing to sacrifice, if any, to help reduce the state budget to close a projected $8.2 billion gap.”

Aubertine’s campaign office says an analysis of the cuts proposed by gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, whom Patty endorsed as “fiscally responsible,” “would result in 320,000 lost jobs and the elimination of $14.4 billion in taxable incomes, forcing these out of work friends and neighbors to depend on the very programs Patty and Carl want to scale back.”

“It is my responsibility to protect the health and safety of the constituents I serve, and I take that responsibility very seriously,” Aubertine said. “On my watch, I’ve worked to protect healthcare services for senior citizens and children. Under my opponents plan, senior citizens and children will have healthcare taken from them.”