NY legislature to study universal health care

Long-time progressive activist Mark Dunlea reports the following good piece of news regarding universal health care. to come out of the recently passed New York state budget.

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Health Care Advocates Applaud Lawmakers for Funding Universal Health Care Study

New York State took an important step towards universal health care by agreeing to include $200,000 in the state budget for independent studies of the merits of various approaches to universal health care.

This follows on the recent announcement that the Spitzer administration was setting up its own internal task force with the Governor's health care advisors and the departments of health and insurance to explore how to provide universal health care for all.

"We want to thank Assemblymember Gottfried for his long-standing leadership on the issue of universal health care," stated Mark Dunlea of the Hunger Action Network. "New York is joining a number of other states that have taken leadership to resolve the issue of providing health care to all. We believe that we can create a universal health care system that also improves the delivery of services while saving money for taxpayers, employers and consumers."

The legislature adopted part but not all of the language developed by Gottfried, the Assembly Health Committee Chair, to create a Commission on Universal Health Care modeled after similar efforts in a number of other states. (language below). The groups hope to meet with Health Department officials to discuss implementation of the study, starting with an open and participatory process as outlined in Gottfried's bill. The bill passed the Assembly last year by 135 to 1 is endorsed by more than 250 organizations representing a wide range of consumer, faith and labor organizations. The group has been meeting regularly with business representatives to enlist their support.

"This action presents an unprecedented window of opportunity for New Yorkers. By enabling us to assess the pros and cons of various models for assuring health care to all, it can help us find our way toward that objective." said Sid Socolar, convener of Rekindling Reform, a NYC-based health care advocacy coalition that initiated the effort for the commission four years ago. "We look forward to an open implementation and review of the study to ensure that its findings are comprehensive and widely understood and that they gain great credibility, " he continued.


The Capital District Alliance for Universal Healthcare, a group organized in 2005 with representatives from social action committees from religious organizations, social agencies, advocacy organizations and interested individuals who want to work for universal health care, praised the legislation. Dr. Richard Propp, Chair of CDAUH, stated, "it is an excellent first step toward assuring that all New Yorkers have equal access to cost effective and comprehensive health care."