New York lawmakers are making a renewed effort to create a single-payer health care system in the state amid ongoing opposition from business organizations and insurance companies.
The latest version of the single-payer proposal is meant to address the concerns that have been raised in the past by labor unions, said the two health committee chairs in the state Senate and Assembly.
Lawmakers pointed to protections for existing benefits that have already been put in place for labor unions, including having employer contributions cover costs and a provision to ensure any public worker or retiree health benefit, including local government benefits, are included in the program.
Lawmakers also sought to clarify language that all health care providers participating in the program receive full benefits and protections if health programs subsidized by the federal government are used for financial support.
Senate Health Committee Chairman Gustavo Rivera signaled the latest version of the measure, known as the New York Health Act, is a relaunch of the effort to get the measure approved.
"Healthcare is fundamental to our lives yet too many cannot access or afford care, so I am committed to making sure that every resident in this state gets the care they need and deserve,” Rivera said.
Rivera, along with Assembly Health Committee Chair Amy Paulin, have the backing of groups like the New York State Nurses Association and the Committee of Interns and Residents.
"There should not be a disparity or stigma when it comes to healthcare," Paulin said. "We also need a simplified system. New Yorkers are overly burdened by rising premiums, changing deductibles, co-pays, restrictive provider networks, out-of-network charges, coverage gaps, and denials of coverage. The NY Health Act takes all of this out of the equation, and directs our time, energy and funds on our healthcare. We can’t continue with the status quo. We need to change the system if we want people to live - and live well."
The measure is still expected to face opponents from the business community and health care sectors, including insurance firms. In the past, those groups have pointed to the cost of a single-payer health care program as well as the potential jobs that would be lost in the insurance sector as a result.
"This bill would create one of the most radical government-run healthcare systems in the world," The Business Council of New York State wrote earlier in an opposition memo. "This bill will restrict health care choices for New Yorkers, diminish the quality of health-care in the State, increase the tax burden for every working New Yorker in almost unimaginable and staggering ways and make the New York the lease attractive place to do business on the continent."
Lawmakers who have backed the proposal have argued the current system is already far too costly for New Yorkers, and could ultimately save money in the long term.
New York's health care coverage has expanded over the last several years, though immigrants without legal status remain among those without guaranteed coverage. A measure to extend subsidized health care to those residents faltered at the end of the legislative session last month.