New York Health Act
In the middle of the deadliest public health crisis in recent history, more than 1 million New Yorkers are uninsured and millions more are under-insured – priced out of accessing the care that they need. The COVID-19 pandemic puts everyone at risk, but Black, brown, and low-income New Yorkers carry the greatest burden of exposure, with disproportionately more serving as essential workers and disproportionately fewer having access to healthcare. Meanwhile, private health insurance corporations continue to make record profits by denying care, as tens of thousands of New Yorkers die, lose income, lose their homes, and struggle to pay unaffordable medical bills. The New York Health Act [A6058/S5474] will remove the financial and insurance barriers that keep healthcare segregated and that contribute to higher rates of preventable illnesses in BIPOC communities. The New York Health Act [A6058/S5474] will provide universal, comprehensive health coverage to all New Yorkers. No one will fear going without coverage again—especially not in the middle of a pandemic.
New York Health Act: Universal, Guaranteed Healthcare (Rivera/Gottfried) includes:
- Universal Coverage for everyone who works full-time in or lives in New York, regardless of immigration or employment status.
- Comprehensive Benefits such as coverage for medical, prescription, vision, dental, hearing, long-term care and support services, mental health and substance use treatment, and reproductive care. One comprehensive plan, freedom of provider choice, and no narrow networks.
- Progressive Financing from a graduated tax on income based on ability to pay. This sliding scale will result in lower costs for at least 90% of New Yorkers. Most businesses will see lower healthcare costs too. There will be no regressive copays or deductibles that prevent people from accessing timely care.
- Lower Costs for all covered services and mechanisms for containing costs and eliminating administrative waste. Enactment will result in at least $10 billion less in total health care spending in New York State14. Public hospitals and clinics in New York will receive fair payment for the patients they serve and some may even see an increase in reimbursement rates.
Learn more about the New York Health Act here.
This information is provided by the Compassionate New York Agenda.
