Res. No. 470

Resolution calling on the State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign A.4738-A/S.4840-A, legislation that would establish the New York Health program, a universal single payer health plan for all New York State residents.

By The Speaker (Council Member Johnson) and Council Members Rodriguez, Espinal, Torres, Grodenchik, Levine, Perkins, Barron, Levin, Eugene, Chin, Williams, Cohen, Kallos, Brannan, Rivera, Powers, Ayala, Cumbo, Lander, Ampry-Samuel, Rosenthal, Menchaca, Reynoso, Constantinides, Richards, Rose, Maisel, Moya, Adams, Dromm, Treyger and Gibson

Whereas, New Yorkers have experienced a rapid rise in the cost of health care and coverage in recent years; and

Whereas, This increase has resulted in a large number of people without health coverage or with reduced coverage; and 

Whereas, Despite the more than 4.3 million people acquiring coverage through the New York Health Plan Marketplace as of February 2018, an unacceptable number of New Yorkers have no health coverage, and many more are severely underinsured; and

Whereas, According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2018, New York's uninsured rate was 4.9 percent in 2017; and

Whereas, Voluntary and public hospitals, health centers and other providers who care for patients regardless of their ability to pay now experience substantial monetary difficulties due to treating the uninsured or underinsured; and

Whereas, Patients and health care professionals are sometimes pushed into medical care decisions based on what the insurance company will cover rather than what patient and provider agree is the best course of treatment; and

Whereas, A.4738-A/S.4840-A, sponsored by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and Senator Gustavo Rivera, would create a universal single payer health plan called New York Health to provide comprehensive health coverage for all New Yorkers; and

Whereas, Every New York resident would be eligible to enroll, regardless of age, income, wealth, employment, or other status; and

Whereas, Under New York Health, coverage would be publicly funded and there would be no premiums, deductibles, or co-payments; and

Whereas, The benefits of the New York Health program would include comprehensive outpatient and inpatient medical care, primary and preventive care, prescription drugs, laboratory tests, rehabilitative, dental, vision, and hearing; and

Whereas, A.4738-A/S.4840-A would authorize health care providers to form organizations to collectively negotiate with New York Health and providers would be paid in full by New York Health; and

Whereas, The plan would develop and phase in alternative payment methods to replace fee-for-service systems, which incentivize volume but not necessarily quality; and

Whereas, New York Health would be paid for through a progressively-graduated payroll tax (supplemented heavily by employers) and a progressively-graduated tax on other taxable income; and

Whereas, Federal waivers would be sought that would allow funding for Medicare, Medicaid, Family Health and Child Health Plus to be folded into a New York Health Trust Fund, along with State funds; and

Whereas, The single-payer New York Health plan would drastically increase access to health care and improve health outcomes for residents in New York; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign A.4738-A/S.4840-A, legislation that would establish the New York Health program, a universal single payer health plan for all New York State residents.

CP

LS# 7125

5/23/18