the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of New York. Cohen raised more than $700,000 for his election bid, the largest amount for a Lieutenant Governor race in New York state history. Cohen called the healthcare system "dysfunctional at every level." He proposed linking universal health-insurance coverage to economic development, repeating his message that "health care is a right, not a privilege." He favored setting up an insurance pool backed by private carriers that would spread the risk of health care coverage, making it affordable for small businesses, as well as spearheading state-led investment in biotechnology and stem cell research to foster job creation and medical innovation. Cohen further developed plans to cut fraud and waste from the Medicaid system, which he blamed for ruining county budgets, stating, "What's happening is, there's too little money left for roads, for senior citizen programs and for schools." When the Democratic frontrunner for governor, Eliot Spitzer, named Paterson as his running mate, Cohen dropped his own candidacy. Cohen nominated Paterson for Lieutenant Governor during the 2006 New York Democratic Party convention, held in Buffalo, New York. When Paterson succeeded Spitzer as Governor of New York, Paterson appointed Cohen as his Senior Advisor. As Senior Advisor, Cohen was responsible for developing all policy and strategic planning as related to healthcare, education, environment, economic development, energy, transportation, homeland security and local governments. Cohen was one of the six senior staff responsible to the Governor for the coordinated activities of 83 agencies, 600 authorities, 200,000 employees and a budget of $124 billion. Further reading Paterson, David Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity. New York, New York, 2020 References Living people American healthcare managers American vascular surgeons Year of birth missing (living people)