Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s administration is working to expand health coverage to nearly three million more New Yorkers by reforming health care delivery in New York and fighting to protect the national State Children’s Health Insurance Program from President Bush’s harsh cuts.
Fulfilling a core campaign promise, the Governor’s goal is working to ultimately achieve universal health insurance for every New Yorker.
Partnership for Universal Coverage In 2007 Governor Spitzer and New York State Democrats passed a budget that will provide uninsured children with access to comprehensive affordable health care coverage. In addition to expanding Child Health Plus, the Governor’s budget also streamlined the enrollment process to encourage some 900,000 uninsured adults and children to obtain Medicaid coverage. Once in the Medicaid system, these individuals will have access to the primary and preventative care they need and reduce reliance on more expensive hospital care.
To follow up on the success of the first budget, the Governor has launched the Partnership for Universal Health Coverage.
"Our ‘partnership for universal health coverage’ will be based on a building-block approach that ensures access to affordable, high quality medical care for every single New Yorker, reduces the overwhelming and unsustainable cost of healthcare incurred by the public and the state, and avoids the significant implementation problems that have plagued other state efforts in this area,†said Governor Spitzer. “This incremental effort will draw from the experiences of other states, but will ultimately result in a plan that is uniquely suited to New York’s uninsured population and healthcare challenges."
"We’re being practical and pragmatic rather than making a sweeping rhetorical flourish," Governor Spitzer said, adding that his efforts to cut Medicaid costs would help the state pay for broader coverage.
Governor Spitzer has charged the state’s key health and insurance officials to travel the state and study what works. The Health Commissioner and the Superintendent of Insurance will submit a final proposal for universal coverage and any interim steps toward that goal by May 31, 2008.
Before NY even thinks about Universal Healthcare, NY needs to fix it's runaway Medicare costs. By comparison, California has 2 times the people in their State and NY pays more than they do? Governor Spitzer and his yes-men and yes-women need to focus on current problems, not create a new one.
