NEW YORK — The New York State Senate and Assembly one-house budget proposals, which included $345 million in funding for Coverage for All legislation that would create a state-funded health coverage option for over 150,000 low-income New Yorkers who are currently barred from health insurance due to their immigration status. In response, the Coverage for All coalition released the following statement:
“We thank Assemblymember Gottfried and State Senator Rivera for their leadership and commend their colleagues for including Coverage for All in their one-house budget proposals. By their actions, they have shown they understand that to build a healthier New York, all New Yorkers must be able to access health insurance coverage. Immigrant communities have been on the frontlines, disproportionately exposed to the deadly virus, without the necessary health care to keep them safe and provide protection from chronic illness. Especially in the midst of a pandemic, New Yorkers should not have to worry about accessing medical assistance due to a lack of health insurance.
“We call on Governor Kathy Hochul to ensure that the final state budget fully funds this program to expand immigrants’ access to affordable, quality health coverage. New York can lead the nation by investing and improving our health care system to ensure all people, regardless of their immigration status, are able to obtain preventative care, receive the medications they need, and live healthier lives.”
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#Coverage4All is a campaign to expand health insurance to all New Yorkers. The campaign is a coalition of community members, community organizations, health care providers, legal service providers, as well as labor, immigrant, and health care consumer advocates. Our objective is to create a statewide health insurance product for New Yorkers who are excluded from eligibility for coverage because of their immigration status, by enacting A880A/S1572A. A campaign of Health Care for All New York (HCFANY), #Coverage4All is led by the New York Immigration Coalition and Make the Road New York.
The #Coverage4All Steering Committee includes:
- African Services Committee
- Children’s Defense Fund- New York
- Citizen Action
- Coalition for Asian American Children and Families
- Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU
- Community Health Care Association of New York State
- Community Service Society of New York
- Doctors Council SEIU
- Empire Justice Center
- Finger Lakes Community Health
- Healthcare Education Project
- Housing Works
- Metro New York Health Care for All
- Make the Road New York
- New York Immigration Coalition
- New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
- New York State Nurses Association
- Planned Parenthood of Greater New York
- Young Invincibles