NEW YORK UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE OPTIONS CAMPAIGN

The Commission proposal has been endorsed by more than 250 organizations, including the NYS Nurses Association, NYPIRG, Physicians for a National Health Plan (NY), Rekindling Reform, Hunger Action Network of NYS, 1199 SEIU, Albany County Central Labor Council, Community Service Society, American Medical Student Association (Albany Med and Cornell), Rochester Interfaith Health Coalition, ES2, SENSES, NASW NYS, UJA Federation of NY, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, Public Health Association of NYC, Professional Staff Congress, Congress of Senior Citizens, Metro Health NY, Western NY Health Care Campaign, NYS Health Care Campaign, Citizen Action, Working Families Party, NYSUT, SCAA.

Millions of New Yorkers are unable to have full access to health care because they lack health coverage. The current system of health coverage undermines the health and financial security of those who lack coverage; imposes increasing financial burdens on employers, taxpayers and individuals who pay for health coverage; unfairly distributes the economic and social costs of health care; and undermines the financial viability of health care providers. The purpose of this legislation is to develop and evaluate options to move NY to a system that will provide or promote health coverage for all and help overcome the problems of the current system.

A legislative commission on health coverage reform would be created to examine, evaluate and make recommendations concerning mechanisms for providing comprehensive, affordable, quality health coverage to all New Yorkers while controlling costs and ensuring freedom of choice for consumers. The commission shall have two committees, one on universal publicly financed health coverage and one on expanding traditional health coverage.

Publicly financed health coverage models may include a single-payer system similar to traditional Medicare, a system using multiple private carriers similar to child health plus or family health plus, so-called “pay or play” models, or other systems. Proposals for publicly funded health coverage may also include appropriate cost-containment elements, including control of major health care provider capital expenditures. The committee on expanding traditional health coverage shall examine proposals such as pooling arrangements, mandates, subsidies, incentives, tax mechanisms, cost-shifting to consumers, limitations on benefits, health savings accounts, and cost-containment elements, including control of major health care provider capital expenditures.

The bill calls for a half million dollars in funding.

The commission would evaluate the effect of proposals on: (a) advancing the goal of universal health coverage; (b) controlling the cost of health coverage and health care; (c) fairly and equitably distributing the cost of health coverage and health care; (d) the level and distribution of costs as a barrier to health coverage or health care; (e) employers and employment; (f) the special concerns of small businesses; the self-employed and sole-proprietors; collective bargaining arrangements; people with multiple, seasonal or sporadic employment; low-income households; and people who are unemployed, under-employed or unable to work; and, (g) the economic viability of hospitals, community health centers, health care professionals, and other health care providers.