Albany, NY – Health Care for All New York is delighted to announce that more New Yorkers have health insurance than ever before – and that New York was one of only three states where more people have health insurance this year than last.
“While the rest of the country is experiencing declines in coverage, New York has managed to decrease the proportion of uninsured New Yorkers from 5.7% to 5.4%.” said Elisabeth R. Benjamin, MSPH, JD Vice President of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society of New York and a co-founder of Health Care for All New York. “Since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act—and most importantly, New York’s roll-out of the Essential Plan, the State has cut the number of people without health coverage in half.”
New York is fortunate to have committed State leaders who have adopted the following consumer-friendly measures:
Five percent is a major improvement, but it still means over a million New Yorkers live with the uncertainty and risk of being uninsured. “While it’s no surprise that New York is leading the nation in insurance coverage, New York still lags behind California in ensuring that each and every resident, regardless of immigration status has access to the health insurance they need to stay healthy. At a time when our immigrant communities are faced with ongoing federal attacks, pushing them into the shadows often without access to programs to support their families, it’s more important than ever to guarantee that every New Yorker can thrive by championing programs and policies that make healthcare accessible to all,” said Seongeun Chun, MPH, Senior Manager of Health Policy of New York Immigration Coalition.
New York can fix this by: