The New York Health Act

Last week, State Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin re-introduced the latest version of the New York Health Act, single payer plan for New York State. The new bill has specific language to address the concerns of some public sector unions opposing the bill like DC37 and CSEA. It guarantees that members will lose none of the benefits they have in the current plan. Unions supporting the plan include some public sector unions for members of the medical professions, such as (NYSNA) New York State Nurses Association and 1199SEIU,  and private sector unions such as Communications Workers of America and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. Senator Rivera’s response to State Senators fearful of the change is “We are not trying to build something magical, like a unicorn. Every advanced industrialized nation in the world provides its citizens with universal healthcare. We know how to do this.”