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PRIVATIZATION UPDATE

[E]veryone should have access to essential physical and behavioral healthcare… high quality care that is affordable and accessible to all… [with] uniform eligibility and coverage of essential healthcare services, both physical and behavioral, ideally … vision, dental, hearing, and long-term care, through public financing …[with] an emphasis on preventive care, health education, and appropriate use of primary care services. (From LWVNY Healthcare Position)

[The League favors e]ssential healthcare at an affordable cost for all New Yorkers, both patients and taxpayers… the single-payer concept [is] a viable and desirable approach to implementing League positions on equitable access, affordability, and financial feasibility … [and] health insurance access independent of employment status. (From LWVNY Healthcare Financing Position)

Quick links to content below:

What our PWM League has done, is doing

What we’re doing 2025

League Adopts New Positions at 61st Biennial Convention!

League Passes New Position on Privatization

The League of Women Voters of New York State is excited to announce the passage of the following new position, approved by delegates at our State Convention, to update the LWVUS position on privatization:

The League believes that healthcare, like other programs that provide and protect basic human needs, should be considered a public good.

The League favors a system where fiduciary responsibility (for such programs) is to patients and the public. Because private for-profit corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders rather than to patients or public health, the League believes the for-profit business model for healthcare is inappropriate for the common good or to meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable members of society. In sum, the League opposes further privatization of needed healthcare.

Where private entities fail to deliver programs that provide and protect basic human needs, the League supports de-privatizing them.

PWM, with support of NYS and Vermont, is seeking to bring this new position to the 2026 National Convention, supported by the LWV Special Interest Group on Health Care Reform (AKA HCR4US).  To learn more, check out Privatization Update (link to new page).

2025 Legislative Wins & Advocacy

Passed, Not Yet Signed

Medical Aid in Dying (S138 Hoylman-Sigal)

This bill would allow for a terminally ill, mentally capable adult to request life-ending medication from a doctor that the person can self-administer at a time of his or her choosing — or never — should suffering become unbearable. It has numerous safeguards that have been tested in other US states for almost two decades, with its popularity growing over time.

What can I do? Write a handwritten note to Governor Hochul telling her why she should sign this bill — include a personal story if you have one:

To: The Honorable Kathy Hochul
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

1-518-474-8390 | Office hours: 9:00am to 5:00pm

To: lwvbn@lwvbn.org <lwvbn@lwvbn.org>

2024

Advocacy 2024

Medical Aid in Dying, did not pass in the Senate or the Assembly.

2023

Wins

Advocacy

MOVE TO HC ADVOCACY

  • School Based Health Centers (S2339Rivera/A6029 Paulin)  Provides that services provided by school-based health centers shall not be provided to medical assistance recipients through managed care programs. Vetoed by Governor (again).

These bills move to HC advocacy (& Rural & CJ)

  • Elder Parole (S454 Hoylman-Sigal/A 514 Davilla)
  • Fair and Timely Parole (S159 Salazar, A127 Weprin)
  • New York Health Act (S3425 Rivera/ A1466 Paulin)
  • Coverage for All (S3762 Rivera/ A1710 Gonzalez-Rojas)
  • Hospital Transparency Act (S3486 Hinchey, A3862 Rozic)
  • “Decoupling” of Child Care Assistance from Hours Worked (S2001 Brisport/A3174 Hevisi)
  • Prohibits Minimum Earnings Requirement for Child Care Assistance(S1194 Ramos /A2218 Clark)
  • Local Input for Community Healthcare (LICH) Act(S1226 Rivera/A6004 Simon)

Department of Health: 2023 spring disappoint

  • The budget walks back last year’s important win by removing the 2022 law that mandates home care workers are paid at least $3 above the minimum wage. Instead the budget caps home care wages at $3 above the minimum wage — showing $3 is not ‘a start’ but rather the absolute limit. There is also no accountability for insurance companies.

Reproductive Freedom & Equity Grant Program S348-B Cleare/ A361-A Gonzalez-Rojas  

Would ensure access to abortion care in the state by providing funding to abortion

providers, government entities and non-profit organizations whose primary

function is to facilitate access to abortion care. Call Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s office today at 518-455-3791 and ask him to push this bill to the floor for a vote.

2023 Wins

School-Based Health Centers  — Then vetoed. S2339 Rivera/A6029 Paulin

“Enhance the scope of health equity impact assessments to require consideration of reproductive health services and maternal health care” in an area “before the Dept. of Health can approve any proposed construction, establishment, mergers, acquisitions, closures or reductions in hospital/health related services.” This is very important for rural areas in particular.

S.3609B/A.3113A

Reproductive Telehealth (S1066A Mayer/A1709 Reyes) Provides certain legal protections for reproductive health service providers who provide legally protected health activities including protection from extradition, arrest and legal proceedings in other states relating to such services; restricts the use of evidence relating to the involvement of a party in providing legally protected health activity to persons located out-of-state. Delivered and signed by the Governor.

2023 Advocacy

A bill that would require greater community input before hospital closures, or closures of emergency or maternity departments, S.2085/A1633 was passed unanimously in the Senate Health Committee and now moves along to the Finance Committee (in the Assembly it is in Ways and Means).

The bill to establish a funding program for EMS Programs remains stuck in both house’s Health Committees: S.1852/A.1091.

2024

Noteworthy 2024 Healthcare Advocacy Activities

In July the Chairs of the two NYS Legislative Health Committees, introduced a slightly modified New York Health Act (A07897/Paulin and S07590/Rivera) — legislation that has been consistently improved over the past thirty years that would bring Universal, Affordable, Equitable Comprehensive Healthcare to all NYS residents.  More about this bill will appear soon.

Previous versions of this bill have been supported and advocated by our NYS Leagues because it would realize goals articulated in the NYS (and US) healthcare positions. League members interested in advocating to bring affordable, equitable, comprehensive, quality healthcare to all New Yorkers — and for additional healthcare reforms that will bring New York closer to that vision — are welcome to reach out to Program@lwvofpwm.org, typing Healthcare in the subject line.

With the support of LWVofPWM, we are supporting the Update to the US Privatization position, propoed by LWV of Vermont at the 2024 Convention.  To learn more about this initiative and how it will benefit state and local Leagues, visit the LWV VT Concurrence site, hosted by the website of the LWV US Health Care Reform Interest Group that meets monthly on Sunday nights by Zoom. To find out more or to join, click here.

The LWV of NYS Healthcare Committee (HCC) has been active this legislative session:

If you might want to join the HCC or to join its active Google News Group, email LWV.NYS.healthcare.update@gmail.com

2023 Tracking, prioritizing & advocating for key legislation — NYS Senate & Assembly

The LWV of NYS Healthcare Committee meets regularly to review and assess proposed legislation (including reviewing the bills introduced in the NYS Senate and NYS Assembly Health Committees), and to read and assess executive communications for their healthcare ramifications (such as the Governor’s State of the State Book and Budget and the Senate & Assembly 2024 one-house budgets).

In January, the HC committee participated, with the other NYS LWV Issue Specialists to lay out the League’s issue priorities for the 2023 Budget & Legislative sessions — the Hot Topics presentations (and slides) are available on the State League website

The Healthcare Committee wrote testimony submitted by the NYS LWV to the NYS Joint Fiscal Committee of the Senate and Assembly about the 2024 Budget, as did three other Issues Specialists.

We then worked with the NYS Board to prioritize legislation for the LWV of NYS Advocacy Day on May 1, where NYS prioritized a record number of bills for local Leagues to advocate for.

We are proud that of the approximately 20 bills prioritized by NYS LWV

5 were directly related to healthcare

      • Fair Pay for Home Care Workers
      • School-Based Health Centers Medicaid Waiver — passed both chambers
      • Medical Aid in Dying
      • Reproductive Freedom & Equity Program
      • Reproductive Telehealth
      • Coverage for All into NYS Essential Plan

4 were indirectly related to healthcare

      • Elder Parole
      • Climate Superfund
      • Birds & Bees Protection
      • Packaging Reduction & Recycling

Healthcare bills that the League supported were enacted into Law

      • Provider Protection for Telemedicine Reproductive Health
      • Health Equity Impact Required for Reproductive and Maternal Health Services
      • Birds & Bees Protection
      • School-Based Health Centers Medicaid Waiver
      • [this section still under construction]

In 2022 Successfully mobilizing LWVUS to adopt language from new NYS positions

At the June 2022 National Convention, LWVUS delegates voted overwhelmingly to adopt by concurrence an Update to the US position on Health Care. Leagues across the country are now able to advocate in their state legislatures for key reforms (read more here).

During 2021-22 our League co-led successful efforts to mobilize local Leagues across NYS and the US to support updating the LWVUS Healthcare position (adopted in 1993) by adding excerpts from the 2021 LWVNY Healthcare and Healthcare Financing positions by Concurrence at the 2022 National Convention.

Concurrence is a long-standing and well-respected process to allow Leagues to leverage the rigorous study, review, and consensus processes of other Leagues. By using Concurrence, a League may adopt a new position or update an existing position without expending the extraordinary effort required to do a statewide or nationwide study.

Success at the June National Convention allows the 700 Leagues across the country to advocate more easily for needed healthcare reforms and for available, affordable, resilient, and universal access to the Internet.  We are proud that the vote, by virtual and in-person delegates, was nearly unanimous for the healthcare update and also adopted the Digital Equity position by a wide margin. League members know that reforming our healthcare at local, state, and federal levels is an urgent priority — for individuals and their families, for the public health of communities, for our national economy and body politic.  Our democracy — as well as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” — depends on Americans being healthy.

To learn more about LWVPWM’s successful Healthcare Concurrence and Digital Equity Concurrence efforts, click here.

In 2021-22 Successfully supporting NYS & US Rural Affairs Caucuses: adoption of LWVUS Digital Equity Position:

The NYS Rural Affairs Caucus successfully spearheaded national concurrence with the LWV of Connecticut positions on Digital Equity (Broadband) and Public Access Media at the 2022 LWVUS Convention — meaning the LWVUS now has a position favoring universal, available, affordable, resilient internet access. Prior to June 2022, like 46 state Leagues, the LWVUS had no position on Digital Equity or Public Access Media. New Mexico, Tennessee, and Maine had positions by State Concurrence with Connecticut.

As a founding member of the national Rural Affairs network — which includes League members from 30 states —PWM helped launch an informal survey of these League members in the spring of 2020. It asked respondents to list the most critical needs facing their rural neighbors.  Almost every respondent listed healthcare and 70% listed broadband or high speed Internet, with outreach for voter education listed by about half (some linking voting education and mobilization to internet access). The degree of consensus in an open-ended survey was remarkable. The pandemic not only made critical gaps in rural healthcare and digital equity painfully visible, but exacerbated their harm.

The sponsors of the the Healthcare Concurrence and Digital Equity Concurrence cross-endorsed each other because a stronger LWVUS Position on each strengthens opportunities for advocacy for the other. To learn more, click here: Cross-endorsement.

Healthcare through a DEI lens (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion)

Dangerous disparities in access to healthcare and in public health outcomes have been increasing over the past three decades for marginalized populations across our state and our country — rural residents; people of color;  those who suffer from chronic conditions; those who are incarcerated, lack fluent English, or are homeless;  those who cannot afford health insurance, and those who may have insurance but cannot afford cost-sharing (co-pays, deductibles, out-of-network fees, and co-insurance).

The COVID-19 pandemic made these disparities dramatically more visible.  Not only have vulnerable groups experienced death rates double or triple the rates of other (richer, whiter) groups but, as a country, we have lost ground against our peers, other developed nations. Indeed, unlike other developed countries, US life expectancy has fallen over the past few years, beginning even before the pandemic.

PWM has led, co-led and helped develop educational events about these DEI issues for local, state and national audiences, including

    • 2020 LWVNY Convention caucuses on Healthcare Through a DEI Lens  and Rural Health
    • Presentations to local groups in Connecticut and Florida
    • Presentations to state and national audiences around the concurrence & DEI

2018 to 2021: 18-month Study to Update LWV NY Positions & 6-month Consensus Process

Our local League actively supports the US and NYS League healthcare positions.  The LWV NY positions — adopted by the State Board in 2021 after an 18-month process of intensive study, followed by 6 months of education and consensus discussions by local Leagues across NYS — were recommended to the Board with virtually unanimous support. They replace the NY positions adopted in 1991 and were aligned with the US position, adopted in 1993, but offered many additional reforms and clarified language.

Now, critical elements of these NYS positions have been adopted by the National League, updating what is possible for the 40+ state Leagues without state positions on healthcare.

Our League representative was an active participant in the 7-member Study Committee, and offered education events for local leagues across the state, and provided Q&A, as needed, to explain the new positions. In large part because of these efforts, the Chair of our Healthcare Committee has been appointed the LWVNY Issue Specialist on Healthcare by the LWVNY Board.

Educational Events & Testimony on Healthcare

PWM has run many educational programs on single-payer healthcare:

    • For our PWM communities at local venues
    • At state-wide virtual events, such as caucuses at 2021 NYS Convention (on Rural Health and on Health Disparities), January 2023 Hot Topics, June 2023 on Rural Health Matters
    • At national events, such as leading the healthcare caucus and facilitating the digital equity caucus at the 2022 LWVUS Convention, and assisting with the healthcare caucus on Medicare for All at the 2020 LWVUS Convention
    • In conjunction with a national network of League members from 45 states who advocate for publicly funded universal healthcare:  Health Care Reform for US
    • March 9, 2023 Webinar on Understanding Universal Healthcare for LWV of West Contra Costa County (CA), LWV of Diablo Valley (CA), & Contra Costa County Library (CA)

PWM has also testified and helped prepare testimony at hearings on the NY Health Act and other HC legislation:

    • Written Testimony on February 28, 2023 — Joint Senate-Assembly Hearing on the 2024 Budget for Health and Mental Hygiene
    • Testimony on October 23, 2019, in the Bronx — Hearing by Joint Health Committees
    • Testimony on May 18, 2019, in Albany — Hearing by Joint Health Committees
    • Testimony on February 8, 2019, in Albany — Hearing by the Budget Committee
    • Testimony on December 6, 2018 in NYC — Hearing by NYC Council on Resolution 470

NYS League

“LWVNY Advocacy and Resources

Find links to the 2021 Healthcare Positions and the Study Materials, along with materials on Death With Dignity positions  here.

Find link to the 2021 LWV NYS Memorandum of Support for the NY Health Act  here (in  2021 Legislative Packet)

Endorsement of the Campaign for New York Health (here)

Other NYS Health News

Governor Hochul appointed James V. McDonald M.D., M.P.H. as the temporary NYS Health Commissioner, effective Jan 1, 2023, after Dr. Mary Bassett announced her return to the Harvard School of Public Health as Director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights.

Recent 2022 NYS Health Laws passed by both chambers (signing TBD by Dec ’22)

      • A160B to lower the allowable lead levels for school drinking water — signed with chapter amendment
      •  A.126-A to establish the State’s first comprehensive emerging contaminant monitoring list to ensure broad testing for dangerous chemicals—signed with chapter amendment
      •  A.108B/S.1168A and A.7119/S6346 safe staffing bills to ensure adequate nurse staffing in hospitals and nursing homes — signed with chapter amendment

Recent 2021 NYS Health Laws signed

      • A160B to lower the allowable lead levels for school drinking water
      •  A.126-A to establish the State’s first comprehensive emerging contaminant monitoring list to ensure broad testing for dangerous chemicals.
      •  A.108B/S.1168A and A.7119/S6346 safe staffing bills to ensure adequate nurse staffing in hospitals and nursing homes

LWV Positions on Healthcare (US & NYS HC & NYS HC Financing)

Learn More — Recommended Videos & Reading

Learn more about single-payer healthcare funding — videos

Learn more about single-payer healthcare funding — websites

Learn more about alternate kinds of healthcare funding — books & films

Ask Us, Join Us

If you are interested in learning more about an issue that many worry is too complicated for ordinary Americans, we would love to hear from you.

Ask Us, Join Us