The NY Health Act — stalled again in the State Senate

Tuesday, June 5th, was a day of action for the two bills that make up the New York Health Act, legislation that outlines a single-payer healthcare system for NYS.

How healthcare works in this country depends on the positions taken by for-profit insurance companies. They not only have enormous clout with Congress, but administer much of the whole healthcare system.

The bills now making their way through Albany should not be confused with socialized medicine, where doctors and facilities work directly for the government. But they do propose to eliminate these middlemen companies who lobby fearlessly on behalf of their shareholders, support inequities in coverage and pricing, and who carve out an enormous piece of the proverbial pie.

Two local legislators, Senator David Carlucci (D; Dist. 38) and Assemblywoman Didi Barrett (D; Dist. 106), co-sponsor the bills. Versions of the current bill in the Assembly (A4738) passed in 1992, then again in the 2015/16 legislative session and in 2017. A few days ago, on June 14th, it passed yet again, with more than a two to one margin: 86-42. Assemblywoman Sandy Galef (D; Dist. 95) was on board.

Unfortunately, our state senators never get a chance to vote on it. That’s because like all the earlier versions of the bill, the current one (S4840-A) is stalled in the Health Committee—where Senator Terrence Murphy (R; Dist. 40), himself a medical practitioner, and his fellow committee members prevent a floor vote. Two other of our local legislators, Sen. Sue Serino (R; Dist. 41) and Assemblyman Kieran Lalor (R; Dist. 105), don’t seem to support the bills either.

The June 5th rally and day of action was mounted by the Campaign for NY Health, Physicians for a National Health Program, the NYS Nurses Association, 1199 SEIU, and more than 100 other organizations. Participants spoke with staff in 70 legislative offices.

I was part of a diverse group of constituents, local elected officials, clergy, medical practitioners and labor reps who got to meet with staff of Senators Murphy and Serino, notably not with the legislators themselves. Maybe these aides “heard” us, maybe they were just performing their duties, but the heartfelt comments expressed at those meetings need to be added into the arguments anyone can find online.

Here are some of the most compelling points made by the participants:

• The expensive rehab for his elderly mother eats not only into her funds, but into the resources of the entire family.

• Healthcare (HC) is a basic human right and shouldn’t depend on income. States have to assume this responsibility for residents when the federal government does not.

• Medicare, ACA, supplemental, and drug coverage is so complicated, and the government doesn’t allocate resources to help individuals make the right choices or sort out problems they encounter. Legislators have admitted they don’t even know the specifics of how medical insurance works.

• We’re subject to the whims of insurance companies, who frequently hold us hostage. For example, Lyme disease, where they cut off coverage after a certain point. Policies, costs, eligibility keep changing.

• People should have equal access to comprehensive and quality HC. It’s in the same category as public education.

• Sen. Murphy and his wife are both medical practitioners. He should understand that insurance companies impose undue burdens on patients and providers alike.

• [Vanessa Agudelo: Councilwoman, City of Peekskill] Hears a lot of stories from constituents about costs. HC is a bi-partisan issue. Single-payer would mean a huge relief for cities, towns and villages. There needs to be a proactive strategy to make sure HC is available for residents. Expensive care compounds an already difficult situation for young adults in Westchester. Some still have to live with their parents. They have to pay for college. The ACA deductible in the basic plans costs so much that it’s like not having coverage at all. Young people have to stay in Westchester, but it’s way too difficult for a lot of them. Staying in a job or with an abusive spouse just to maintain coverage must be addressed.

• The insurance model for HC is not logical. You buy insurance for something that might happen, not for what’s definitely going to happen, like declining health. A significant percentage of our state and local taxes to support Medicaid and health coverage for municipal employees. Wouldn’t it make more sense for everyone to pay into the same fund for HC and eliminate the insurance companies? Progressive Republican senators in the Hudson Valley are precisely the ones who should step up now and break the logjam.

• CEO’s of insurance companies make astronomical salaries. Their job is to find ways to deny or limit coverage. The more they pay in claims, the less they make in profits.

• The biggest drive of personal bankruptcy in the US is HC costs. This is not the case anywhere else in the world.

• [Darius Shahinfar, Treasurer for the City of Albany]: Pointed out that HC is a hidden tax. Westchester currently spends roughly $420 million on Medicaid and HC for government employees. Later he added that reducing the costs means business owners can put their capital to more productive use.

• [president of a clergyman’s association]: From a moral standpoint, everyone should have access to quality, affordable HC. Congregations have high HC costs. Their leaders are irritated that large increases mean huge percentages of their church budgets go to HC. The new tax law doesn’t make sense. With the recent changes to HC, it’s really a tax increase. What good is it.

• [An insulin user]: She says pens cost $400 each, and she needs 4/day. She and others try to get samples that the reps leave with doctors. The ACA worked for a while, but the deductible became too high, she couldn’t spend down enough to get into Medicaid, and she’s no longer covered. She can’t survive: will go bankrupt and lose her house. She embarrassed that this is her country of origin. It’s Our America: Take It Back! She said the NY Health Act is altruistic and egalitarian. She wondered out loud at the second session if Sen. Serino had even read this bill. The staffer said the senator did ask about costs a year-and-a-half ago. Someone interjected that if the senator saw numbers a year-and-a-half ago that differ, perhaps she might not want her silence interpreted as a lack of interest…..

______________

The upshot of the lobbying day was that Senators Murphy and Serino are not at this point receptive to the idea of single-payer healthcare. They both seem to be concerned about what it will cost, and while this is a valid concern, neither has taken the time to look into it. Nor have they held town hall meetings in their districts to address this vital issue that affects every single person.

Much more info at https://www.nyhcampaign.org and http://www.pnhpnymetro.org/.