STATE SENATOR
As I travelled to Albany last week, my mother, Helen Perkins, was most deeply on my mind. For the past month, I have spent each day at her bedside in Harlem Hospital, as she has bravely battled for her life. Coming back to Albany for the start of the legislative session represented the first time I would be away from her. However, her situation and the excellent health care that she is currently receiving—because of our Medicare system—is one of the reasons that I came to Albany, to fight for “New York Health,” legislation that will ensure Medicare-type healthcare for all.
Since 1965, Medicare has been serving our seniors from the age of 65 onward and those with disabilities by offering universal access to health insurance with set, predictable rates and clear benefits. This access contrasts with the private insurance market, which offers dozens of plans, the most generous of which are often too expensive for most people and the cheapest of which almost always cuts back on care and benefits, rendering them limited in value. Too many of our hardworking families in Senate District 30 know the hardships that accompany a private health insurance system driven by a profit motive. Most New Yorkers now pay more than ever for lesser care.
Right now, depending upon what health insurance you have, a visit to the doctor could cost you $20 or $200; fees and co-pays are associated with everything. If you need more attention than a simple office visit, your co-pays and fees will rise. You may have a deductible, which means that you may have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars out of your own pocket before your insurance will even kick in. Certain services may simply be beyond your reach, because your insurance does not cover them. The current system, with the exception of Medicare, is totally driven by bottom lines and profit motives. It is easier to understand the true price of a car than to decipher a medical bill or a notice from an insurance company. The bottom line is, health insurance companies exist to make money, first and foremost, and this priority is reflected in the decisions they make.
There is a better way, and I know this from my time with my mother. As I watch her being carefully attended to by nurses, doctors and other medical professionals, I realize that health is a true public good, like education, the environment or even the subway system. Can you imagine bringing your child to school on the first day of classes in September and having to pay $200 to the principal just for access? Can you imagine having to pay $20 for a single ride on the subway because the MTA needed to make a profit and shifted their cost burden onto you? If these scenarios seem incredible to you, then perhaps it is time we as a state start wondering why we have to empty our pockets just to see the doctor
As I was in Albany, the spirit of my mother was still with me, especially during the Assembly Health Committee Public Hearing on New York Health. This legislation has been around since 1992, ably carried by legislative marathoner Dick Gottfried, and for the past few years, I have had the honor of carrying the bill on the Senate. We heard from doctors, nurses, union leaders, activists and, most importantly, regular people with health issues that had caused them to experience such hardships that they now know in their heart and mind that health care must be treated as a right, not as a market-based commodity.
New York Health will do six clear things for all New Yorkers: (1) provide universal coverage to all, including no premiums, deductibles, co-pays or other financial obstacles to care; (2) provide universal benefits to all, including primary and preventative care that covers services such as laboratory tests, prescription drugs, dental/vision care and rehabilitative services; (3) streamline the system away from fees and bills toward a nonprofit model that prioritizes the health of patients; (4) enact rational funding of this public system through a progressive payroll deduction and a surcharge on high-income earners; (5) end the “local share” of Medicaid funding, which will amount to billions of dollars in savings to all of the counties in our state; and (6) establish New York state as the leader in the post-Obamacare policy landscape.
As my mother lies in a hospital bed, my family and I rest a bit easier knowing she has the best care available. We know that all her services will be covered, and there will be no major bills to send shockwaves through our household. Every New Yorker deserves these rights, and by passing New York Health, we will ensure that all present and future generations have it as good, if not better, than our elders, including my beloved mother.