CURRENT EFFORTS

 

 

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WORKING TO PASS THE NEW YORK HEALTH ACT

 

About 2 million New Yorkers are currently uninsured. Most of us are underinsured, although we may not know it. You or your loved ones are probably underinsured. If something terrible happens, you may not be able to pay for the necessary healthcare. Every year hundreds of thousands of people lose all they have saved and wind up filing for bankruptcy because of medical debt. Every year people who have some sort coverage forgo needed treatment because it is too expensive.

 

The U.S. spends more than $3 trillion on healthcare annually--nearly double per capita than any other nation. Yet our healthcare outcomes are far behind in nearly every category.  Financial barriers and lack of access to care are significant drivers of these negative health outcomes. Each year 1/3 of patients WITH INSURANCE go without prescribed medicines or fail to get the medical attention they need. Obstacles which can block the way to needed treatment include high deductibles and co-pays, denial of aproval for the treatment a physician says is necessary, and the right doctor or hospital not being in a plan's network. 

 

If we can get the New York Health Act passed, it will bring Medicare for All or single-payer healthcare to New York. Besides making comprehensive quality healthcare available and affordable for all New Yorkers, it could serve as a model for the rest of America. The single-payer system in Canada began in one province with a population of less than one million people.

 

The facts and figures are there. It would save lives and money. It is doable. The problem is getting it up for a vote. Although the bill has enough co-sponsors in both houses of the New York State Legislature to pass if it comes up for a vote, we have been unable to get it up for a vote. 

 

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You can learn more about the America's broken healthcare system and the New York Health Act by visiting our Patients Before Profits webpage by 

CLICKING HERE​

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THE NEW DEAL FOR CUNY

 

The City University of New York System (CUNY) was once a model for the whole country. The list of those who graduated from it, or who depended on it for an important part of their education, is both long and illustrious. It was an important bridge out of poverty and a component of New York's economic machine. Tuition was free.

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During the seventies, however, free tuition was ended and funding for CUNY started to be cut back. Both staffing and the physical plant suffered.

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A bill called the New Deal for CUNY would provide funding at the level needed to run a quality educational institution, restore free tuition and provide economic aid and other needed help for CUNY students.

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We support the New Deal for CUNY. Learn more by CLICKING HERE​​​​​

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THE NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE BANK

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A national bank is a very old idea which helped America get through troubling times in the past. Alexander Hamilton used it to address the Revolutionary War debt which was hurting the new nation. Lincoln used it during the Civil War and Roosevelt used it to get us through the Depression and World War II.

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Our country is facing an infrastructure crisis. The bill President Biden was able to get passed is very important, but it is only a small step in the right direction. The need our country faces is many times greater than what this provides. We clearly have an infrastructure crisis. If the National Infrastructure Bank Bill is enacted the crisis will be ended without adding a penny to the national debt. Neglected needs in the Bronx such as housing or addressing problems created by climate change and pollution could be addressed.

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Check out the website of the Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank to learn how the bank would work and why we need it so much by CLICKING HERE 

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