Frequently Asked Questions
The New York Health Act is a necessary piece of legislation that will do immense good for every New Yorker.
Who would be covered by the New York Health Act?
New York Health covers every NY resident as well as those who work full-time in the state. Coverage is available regardless of your health, financial or employment status for New Yorkers. Coverage follows you if you travel, retire, or lose your job.
What would the New York Health Act cover?
The New York Health Act will fully cover preventative health, primary care, comprehensive outpatient and inpatient medical care, specialty care, laboratory tests, mental health, reproductive health, rehabilitation, substance abuse, dental, vision, hearing, prescription drugs and medical supply costs. Additionally, New York Health will cover long-term care (home care and nursing home care), which is a huge new benefit for all New Yorkers.
New Yorkers would gain access to all benefits required by current state insurance law or provided by the state public employee package, Family Health Plus, Child Health Plus, Medicare, or Medicaid, as well as others added by the plan.
Is the New York Health Act a health insurance plan?
No. The New York Health Act is not health insurance, it is guaranteed health care. Health insurance requires you to pay premiums each month to access your insurance provider’s network of doctors and hospitals and then you pay for your health care services. The New York Health Act is guaranteed health care. By law, the NYHA will not limit who you can go to for care and will not dictate health care decisions. Financial barriers won’t limit your ability to get care when you need it. There are no premiums to pay. You go to the doctors and hospitals you want, with no payments needed at the point of service.
Will the New York Health Act cost me more, or save me money?
The New York Health Act will eliminate co-pays, deductibles, out-of-pocket costs, prescription costs and the monthly health insurance premiums you pay. Over 90% of New Yorkers will save more with the NYHA compared to today’s unsustainable for profit system.
Will the New York Health Act cost more to implement, or less?
Because the New York Health Act removes the bureaucracy and administrative costs from healthcare to create efficiencies, and leverages the negotiating power of a single-payer system, it is estimated that it will cut state spending on health care by $114 billion over the first 10 years.
How will we pay for the New York Health Act?
We’re already paying for healthcare now. The New York Health Act would remove the health insurance company middlemen and all of their administrative costs and directly fund the healthcare of New Yorkers by combining our spending into one NY Health Fund.
Many people assume guaranteeing healthcare will mean a more expensive system. But the reality is that there is so much waste, fraud, and profiteering in the current system, that moving to a universal, single-payer model actually costs less than the status quo for both the state and 90% of individuals. Read more about how we’ll pay for it here.
How will doctors be affected by the New York Health Act?
Studies have shown that doctors spend an average of 15- 20 hours on administrative tasks per week. This is due to the increasing complexities of the healthcare system and the pre-authorization hoops physicians often have to jump through to provide their patients care. The time physicians spend on administrative tasks takes away from the time they can spend on patient care. That’s nearly ¼ of their weekly hours they would get back to see more patients. Studies have also shown that a single-payer healthcare system would save small practices $83,000 per year.
Would the New York Health Act help, or hurt unions?
The New York Health Act would help unions. With healthcare guaranteed, the New York Health Act would free up unions to focus on other issues like paid time off and increased sick pay. The New York Health Act would also make it easier for unions to organize and increase membership.
How would the New York Health Act work with my Medicare?
New Yorkers under New York Health will retain their Medicare eligibility and will enjoy added benefits including vision, dental, hearing, full drug coverage, full mental health coverage, and long-term personal care in all settings. Medicare Advantage plans and Medigap co-insurance will no longer be necessary.
How would the New York Health Act work with my Medicaid?
Medicaid will be integrated into the NY Health Plan, so that every single person who currently receives Medicaid benefits will be covered by the universal health plan and guaranteed the same high quality healthcare as every other resident or full-time worker in NYS. The NY Health plan guarantees that you can go to the provider of your choice, which will significantly improve wait times for specialty care for those who currently receive Medicaid benefits. If you are on Medicaid, you will likely see an improvement in your access to timely care.
How would the New York Health Act work with my retiree benefits?
Most retirees will simply be covered under the New York Health Act.