Hunger Action Network of New York State

Testimony of the Hunger Action Network of New York State on the NYS Health Department Budget

Hunger Action helps coordinate Single Payer New York. We support the immediate enactment of a single payer universal health care system – at either the state (S3107 / A7354 in 2008) or national level (HR 676) - that makes quality health care a right for all New Yorkers.

Access to quality, affordable health care is one of the main problems confronting low-income New Yorkers. Many of the 2 million New Yorkers who use emergency food programs annually do so because they have medical bills they are unable to pay. High medical bills remain the single largest reason for bankruptcies in New York State.

We support the proposed $4.4 million increase in funding for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program to increase state funding for emergency food programs. We would support an additional increase.

Universal Health Care Advocates Urge President-elect Obama to Adopt the Single Payer Model

(Albany) Single Payer New York, a coalition of doctors, nurses, labor, faith, and community groups, called today upon President-elect Barack Obama to propose a single payer universal health care system for the U.S. Obama has asked Americans to hold house meetings on health care during the last two weeks of December.

The groups urged Obama to reject a Massachusetts style plan that mandates that individuals purchase health insurance.

“America is at a crossroads and the people elected you to be an agent of change. You possess the power to make health care a right in America. Americans deserve the health benefits offered to the people of every other country in the industrialized world—all medically necessary care and freedom from the fear of economic ruin due to illness. The bottom line is that single payer is the one proposal that guarantees quality, affordable health care to every American. This would also be a great benefit to our economy in our time of crisis, helping to control costs for taxpayers, consumers and employers,” said Mike Keenan, President of the Troy Area Labor Council and health care advocate for the Capital District Area Labor Federation. more >

New State Coalition - Single Payer New York - Urges Lawmakers to Adopt a Single Payer Universal Health Care System

Doctors, nurses, consumers and community activists from throughout New York State came together in Albany on September 13, 2008 to create a statewide coalition to push for adoption of a single payer health care system at the federal and state levels. Single Payer NY will help coordinate grassroots education and outreach activities in support of single payer throughout the state. They already have county coordinators in two dozen counties.

"The US spends more than twice as much on health care as the average of other developed nations, all of which boast universal coverage. Why is the U.. S. so different? The short answer is that we alone treat health care as a commodity distributed according to the ability to pay, rather than as a social service to be distributed according to medical need,” said Mark Dunlea, Executive Director of Hunger Action Network of NYS. read >

New York Legislature Urged to Support National Single Payer Universal Health Care

Health care advocates today said that a single payer universal health care system is the best approach to providing quality, affordable health care to all Americans while controlling costs. The groups are planning a single payer health care lobby day and rally at the State Capitol on Tuesday May 6th.

The New Yorkers for Single Payer Health Care urged the State Assembly to pass Resolution K779 (Felix Ortiz) to support HR 676 (Conyers) in Congress. Several months ago Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried circulated a sign on letter by state legislators urging passage of HR 676.

The Governor’s Task Force on Universal Health Care is doing a cost benefit analysis of a state single payer program. The state single bill (A7354 / S 3107) has 85 co-sponsors in the Assembly. read >

(Glens Falls, Sept. 5) A statewide coalition of consumers, faith groups and medical professionals called today for the state of New York to take action to provide quality, affordable health care for all. The groups were testifying at the first of five state public hearings on developing a universal health care proposal for New York State. The state early next year will conduct a series of studies on various approaches to providing health care to all New Yorkers. Governor Spitzer is expected to make a recommendation on universal health care in May 2008.

Many of the groups back a statement of universal health care principles developed by the NY Universal Health Care Options Campaign. The groups want to ensure that every New Yorkers has the right to receive qualify health care while the state takes steps to control costs for consumers, taxpayers and employers. They are concerned that high copays or deductibles, or mandates for individuals to purchase health care insurance (e.g., the Massachusetts model) will still prevent many New Yorkers from accessing health care services. read release >

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Can Incrementalism be a Path to Universal Health Care?

Governor Spitzer and state lawmakers seek an evidence-based plan that will bring comprehensive health care to all of the people of New York State, a result that almost everyone would like to see. Unfortunately, the Spitzer administration, along with many health care reformers, continually assert, without providing any evidence, that the best way to universal health care is a series of incremental steps that build upon existing programs to bring targeted populations of the uninsured into the “health care” system. The evidence from efforts in other states however show that an incremental approach is likely to fail. However, the experience in the rest of the world shows that a comprehensive single payer system will cover everyone, improve quality and cut costs. read more >

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For the last three years, Hunger Action Network has helped coordinate the NY Universal Health Care Options Campaign (see info below). We were successful this year in getting the state legislature to allocate $200,000 to fund a series of studies on how best to provide universal health care, including a Medicare for All / Single Payer system (which Hunger Action endorses).

In addition, Governor Spitzer announced that he has created a Task Force on Universal Health Care led by the State Departments of Health and Insurance. By the end of May 2008, the Governor will make a proposal on universal health care.

The State Health Department hearings on universal health care will begin in Glens Falls on September 5. Governor Spitzer is expected to attend the first hearings. Other hearings, which will take place through December, will be in NYC; LI; Syracuse; Buffalo.

At the end of December, the State Health and Insurance Departments will hire a consultant to do the cost benefit analysis of the various ways to provide health care to all. The input from the hearings will be used to determine which models to study. One of the models must be a single payer / Medicare for All approach.

You may want to read our recent editorial board packet and our principles of health care reform.

As a short term step, Hunger Action Network supports the creation of a Legislative Commission on Universal Health Care (copy of bill) to do a cost-benefit analysis of the various ways that New York could provide affordable health to all. As a long term solution, we support the creation of a single payer universal health care system. memo of support

The United States is the only industrialized country in the world that does not guarantee health insurance for its population.

County officials argue that the rising costs of providing long term care to seniors and disabled individuals through the Medicaid program is overwhelming the local property taxes. Many employers – local businesses, nonprofits, government agencies – are hard pressed to meet the escalating costs of providing health care to their workers, with many deciding to cut back coverage and/or raise charges to their employees. Hospitals contend that they are financially strapped trying to provide expensive emergency room care to the uninsured.

Health care costs are once again rising at a rate significantly higher than the rate of inflation. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently announced that in 2004 health care premiums nationally rose by double digits for the fourth year in a row. The cost controls promised by Health Maintenance Organizations in the early 90s have vanished long ago. Many consumers are also unable to keep up with the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs.

The changes to Medicaid and other health care programs currently being promoted by county and state officials will not solve the underlying problems facing our health care system. They do little to control costs, expand access or improve the quality of our health care system – which is ranked a woeful 37th by the World Health Organization. They are bandaids on a health care system that is seriously hemorrhaging.

We need more health care for the money we are already spending – not more money for an inadequate health care system.

Since the debacle of the Clinton’s health care plan in the early 1990s, many health care advocates in New York have advanced an agenda of incremental change, gradually adding on new programs that cover politically attractive populations such as children and working families. Yet a decade later, 3 million New Yorkers – and 45 million Americans - are still without health care coverage. A much larger number of Americans (81.8 million) go without health insurance for a portion of the year. Others are underinsured, or are forced to change medical care providers whenever they change jobs or their employers change insurers.

The Kaiser Foundation reports that more than 20 million Americans skip or reduce dosages of their medication because they can’t afford their prescription drugs. A majority of people with health insurance either saw their coverage cut or their costs rise last year.

We spend a whopping 15.5% of our GNP on health care – far more than any other country – which puts our businesses at a competitive disadvantage in the international marketplace.

Like many organizations which have studied the matter, Hunger Action Network supports a single payer universal health care system. More than 12,000 doctors recently endorsed a proposal by the Physicians for a National Health Program for a single payer system that would save $200 billion annually. These savings would be invested in providing health care coverage to the uninsured as well as dealing with long term care and prescription drugs. Single payer merely means that one program pays all bill – just like Medicare. Unlike our present health care system which is increasingly dominated by HMOs, single payer preserves the right of doctors and patients – not insurance clerks – to determine what medical care is provided.

However, the proposal for the Commission would study all approaches to providing universal health care – not just single payer. HMOs, pay to play, medical savings accounts, tax credit, etc. would all be eligible to be studied.

Polls consistently show that Americans by a two to one majority support a universal health care system. The lack of universal health care imposes increased costs on everyone. Uncompensated care for the uninsured in 2001 cost $35 billion. The uninsured often end up using the emergency room to receive health care, greatly increasing the costs. They also wait longer to get health care, so costs are higher since they are sicker. We all pay higher premiums to pay for these uninsured costs. People die and become sicker because they are uninsured; their earnings decline.

The Commission proposal establishes a number of goals to be met by any universal health care model:

- Assure access to comprehensive, affordable core benefits, including preventive, acute and long term health care, for all New York residents and guarantee to residents multiple choices among health care-providing professionals and organizations;

- Maintain and improve the quality of health care services offered to New York residents;

The Commission and study model has proven successful in other states – Maine, California and Maryland - that have utilized it, helping elected officials, consumers, the medical community and the private sector focus on solving a critical issue for the state. Lawmakers are provided with a cost-benefit analysis that is objective, rather than one funded by a group or special interest with a particular agenda to promote.

The United States is unique among the industrial democracies in that we treat health care as a commodity distributed according to the ability to pay, rather than a social service to be distributed according to need. We spend huge amounts of money to cure people once they are sick, rather than focusing on keeping them healthy. We are ill-served by a health care system that is a serious drain on our economy while providing an inferior product. The Commission on Universal Health Care is a small but critical step to helping us solve this problem.