Consumer Advocacy in Health Reform–We Can Make A Difference

Posted on January 27, 2010 by hcfany

A new report by Community Catalyst, Building on the Foundation: Consumer Advocacy’s Role in Successful Health Care Reform, looks at how advocacy efforts–such as HCFANY–have influenced the federal health care reform. Advocates have raised their voices to make sure that legislation makes health insurance more affordable, provides greater consumer protections in the health insurance market, and supports delivery system reform to improve quality while reducing costs.

The passage of federal health reform legislation will see the role of  advocacy groups change, but does not lessen their influence and importance.  Advocacy groups will be an essential element to ensure successful health reform implementation.

Filed under: Affordable, Comprehensive Coverage, Insurance reform | Leave a Comment »

New York’s Executive Budget

Posted on January 26, 2010 by hcfany

On January 19 Governor Paterson released the Executive Budget, with cuts/saving in the health area totaling $1.9 billion.

Medicaid Matters of NY has provided an overview–Read it here.

The Children’s Defense Fund of New York–a HCFANY member–has done an analysis of the how the budget affects children:

  • Click here to read the the summary of health provisions in the Executive budget that affect children and families applying for coverage.
  • Click here to read what could be improved in the Executive budget with regards to children and youth.

You can find the 2010-2011 Executive Budget Briefing Book here.

Filed under: Children, Governor Paterson, Insurance reform, health care for all new york | Leave a Comment »

Let’s Get It Done!

Posted on January 25, 2010 by hcfany

New Yorkers know there is too much at state to let health care reform pass us by:

  • In the past year, one in three New Yorkers say they, or someone in their family, has not received or postponed medical care or filled a prescription because of lack of money or insurance.
  • Between 1999 and 2008, health insurance premiums for New York’s working families went up 97% while median wages went up only 11%.
  • 2.7 million New Yorkers still need health insurance.

Recent events have put health care reform at risk, but we have come too far to turn back now!

To move forward we need the House to pass teh Senate bill–then immediately use reconciliation to fix its problems, especially the affordability subsidies.

Take Action Today!

  1. Call NY’s  Senators and Representatives
  2. Call or email the White House
    • Call the White House comments line and tell the Administration you support health care reform: (202) 456-1414/1111.
    • You can also send an email here.
  3. Show your support & attend a mini-rally outside local Reps. Offices.

Filed under: Affordable, Children, Comprehensive Coverage, Medicaid, Medical debt, New York Health Reform, Underinsured, Uninsured | Leave a Comment »

We Must Keep Going & Finish Reform Right!

Posted on January 20, 2010 by hcfany

The election of Scott Brown was not a referendum on health care reform.  When it comes to the need to make good health care affordable, nothing is different today than it was yesterday.

We need health care reform to ensure that the 47 million uninsured Americans–2.2  million adults in New York–have access to quality, affordable health care!

Read the press statement from Health Care For America Now! here

Read the statement from Community Catalyst here.

Read The New Republic’s Treament blog on how Speaker Pelosi is not panicking and neither should Democrats.

How Reconciliation would work.

Tune in Tonight!
Tune in to hear HCFANY members Eesha Pandit, Director of Advocacy for Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need, and Mark Scherzer, Legislative Counsel for New Yorkers for Accessible Health Coverage discuss what to make of this recent event and where we go from here–tonight, Wed. Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m.

The program will be shown on cable TV channels in Manhattan on Ch. 56 (Time-Warner) or Ch. 83 (RCN).  It may also streamed live online from anywhere at www.mnn.org

Filed under: Affordable, health care for all new york | 1 Comment »

HCFANY’s Health Reform Priorities

Posted on January 19, 2010 by hcfany

As Congress finalizes its health reform bill, HCFANY is highlighting priority areas to achieve affordable, comprehensive health care for all. HCFANY’s priorities:

1.  Affordability
For health reform to be effective, it must be affordable.  HCFANY urges Congress to accept the House affordability schedule for people below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)–$27,465 for a family of three–and the Senate affordability schedule for people above 250% FPL.  Read more here.

2.  Support Current Public Insurance Programs
HCFANY urges Congress to adopt the House language expanding Medicaid to 150% FPL.  HCFANY also urges Congress to adopt the Senate language for the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which maintains SCHIP until 2019 and increases federal matching funds from 2014-2019. Read more here.

3.  Immigrants
The Senate and House bills do not go far enough when it comes to improving immigrant access to health care.  HCFANY urges Congress to adopt the House bill language that allows anyone–including undocumented immigrants–to purchase health insurance on the Exchange at full price with their own money.  HCFANY also urges that Congress adopt Senate amendment 2991 that enables all states to cover legal immigrants without the five year bar.  Read more here.

4.  Women’s Health
Women stand to gain from provisions in both bills, but also face a major obstruction to comprehensive care when it comes to abortion coverage. HCFANY urges Congress to go back to the Capps Amendment, which preserves the ban on using federal funds for abortion.  Read more here.

5.  Insurance Reforms
Both bills go to great lengths to improve the private insurance system by banning and restricting harmful practices.  HCFANY urges Congress to adopt the House bill, which bans life-time and pre-existing condition limits, defines an essential benefit package, and sets an age-ratio of 2:1, instead of the Senate bill’s 3:1 ratio.

6.  Disparities
Both bills address the need to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health by increased reporting and monitoring.  HCFANY urges Congress to adopt the House bill language that increases funding for translation services for adults in Medicaid, promotes cultural and linguistic competence training for health care professionals, and increases funding for community health centers ($12 billion over five years).  Read more here.

7. Consumer Assistance
Consumer assistance programs help people understand and use their health care–they are vital to making sure health reform is successful. HCFANY urges Congress to adopt and improve the Senate bill language by increasing funding to $100 million (from $30 million) and guaranteeing that consumer driven not-for-profits will be tapped to provide these essential consumer assistance services.  Read more here.

Have a Question? Submit it here!
(Questions & Answers will be posted on our blog).

Filed under: Affordable, Children, Comprehensive Coverage, Disability, Immigrants, Insurance reform, Medicaid, Premiums, Underinsured, Uninsured, Women | Leave a Comment »

“Health Reform Should Not Hurt NY’s Safety Net!”

Posted on January 13, 2010 by hcfany

A number of community-based groups in NYC have come together to organize a press conference on national health reform. They will be calling on Senators Schumer and Gillibrand to make sure that the final version of the national health reform bill does not harm NYC’s health care safety net.

The press conference is scheduled for Wednesday, January 20th at 10:00 on the steps of City Hall.

To confirm your attendance or for more information,
call (212) 532-7690. See the flyer here.

Filed under: Comprehensive Coverage, Insurance reform, health care for all new york | Leave a Comment »

NYC Teach-In A Great Success!

Posted on January 8, 2010 by hcfany

Last night over 100 people attended a panel ‘teach-in’  to discuss how to fix problems in the current health reform legislation.

Even if you missed the event you can get information on these key issues here:

  • See a New York family budget under health reform here.
  • See what affordability really means in New York here.
  • Find out what health reform will do for women and families here.
  • Find out what a bill that that best serves women looks like here.

Filed under: Affordable, Children, Comprehensive Coverage, Immigrants, Insurance reform, Medicaid, Medicare, Underinsured, Uninsured, Women | Leave a Comment »

The State of the State

Posted on January 6, 2010 by hcfany

Today Governor Paterson delivered his State of the State. You can read the speech and watch it here.

Filed under: Governor Paterson | Leave a Comment »

What Federal Reform Means for NY’s Kids

Posted on January 6, 2010 by hcfany


Almost 400,000 New York children currently enrolled in Child Health Plus (CHP), New York’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), would end up paying more for health coverage under the new health exchange proposed in federal health care reform.

The House bill would eliminate CHIP in 2013 and the Senate proposes to eliminate it in 2015, moving the children into the new health exchange. While subsidies would be available to families below 400 % the federal poverty level (FPL), they would not come close to keeping the costs at the same level of the CHIP program. In fact, costs would increase more than 10 percent for many families.

For example, under the House proposal, a family of four earning $55,000 a year (250% of the FPL) would currently pay $360 a year (less than 1% of their annual income) for children’s health coverage in New York’s program. That same family would pay more than ten times as much – $3,840 a year (7% of their annual income)– for their children’s coverage in the new health exchange.

A study commissioned by First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, confirmed that CHIP is a significantly better program for low-income families than any proposal pending in Congress.

In order for New York’s children to continue to have access to affordable and comprehensive health coverage, New York’s children and families need Congress to make sure that CHIP is not eliminated in the final health care reform legislation.

*Thanks to Kinda Serafi and Jennifer Rojas of the Children’s Defense Fund-New York for contributing to this post*

Filed under: Affordable, Children, Comprehensive Coverage, Insurance reform | Leave a Comment »

Cadillacs Need to Stay on the Road

Posted on January 6, 2010 by hcfany

For people with serious illness and disabilities, “Cadillac” health plans are the dependable “cars” they need.

Rather than tax millionaires to help finance health care reform, as the House bill does, Senate health reform legislation taxes comprehensive group health policies, called “Cadillac” plans. To avoid the tax, recent surveys of employers tell us that 87 percent would reduce comprehensive benefits, leaving many without adequate coverage.
(see this original post on CIDNY’s blog)

Mark Scherzer, Legislative Counsel to New Yorkers for Accessible Health Coverage (a project of CIDNY), explains in a letter published in the New York Times why comprehensive coverage is indispensable to people who are seriously ill and disabled.

Filed under: Affordable | Leave a Comment »

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