•Working toward a Solution•
Each Legislative Session frames HCFANY’s yearly priorities on the state level.
–2010-2011–
Read HCFANY’s 2010-2011 Legislative Agenda here.
Prior approval is a priority for HCFANY this year. Since 1999, NY has allowed health insurers to “file and use” premium increases with the Insurance Department. Since then, unregulated health insurance premiums increases have doubled. Read more on prior approval here.
Implementation of the New Federal health law
The new federal health reform law will be a massive state based effort. New York advocates look forward to working closely with the Legislature to ensure that New Yorkers obtain the quality, comprehensive and affordable care they need.
HCFANY issued a letter to the Governor requesting that the Implementation task force include advocate groups to represent New York’s diverse communities. Read the letter here.
–2009-2010–
June 2009: Read HCFANY’s update on the 2009 Legislative Session here.
April 2009: The Governor unveiled three premium bills, all of which are part of HCFANY’s Insurance Reform Agenda.
Program Bill #11: Expands COBRA coverage from 18 months to 36 months
Program Bill #12: Young Adult Coverage
Program Bill #13: Managed Care Bill of Rights
New York State’s Partnership for Coverage Process
In the spring of 2007, New York’s Governor established the Partnership for Coverage (“P4C”) initiative. Chaired by the Commissioner of Health Dr. Richard Daines and Superintendent of Insurance Eric Dinallo, the P4C process is supposed to develop a “building-block” approach for statewide health reform. Read more about the P4C here.
–Additional Resources & Publications–
Community Service Society’s Cornerstone For Coverage
In order to focus State policy makers and other key stakeholders on the question of what affordable health care really means for New Yorkers, we designed our own vision for State-based reform—the Cornerstone for Coverage proposal described here—which builds upon New York’s existing popular, affordable, and comprehensive public insurance programs.
Polling conducted by the Community Service Society (“CSS”) confirms that New York is part of a declining national trend of low- and moderate-income individuals enrolled in employer-sponsored health insurance. CSS found that in 2008, only 39% of poor full-time workers in New York City reported receiving health insurance for themselves and only 32% reported receiving health insurance for their families through their jobs. These numbers continue to get smaller. Just five years ago, employer-sponsored insurance among poor full-time workers was at 58% for those receiving insurance for themselves, and 46% for those receiving health insurance for their families.
Business And Labor Coalition of New York (BALCONY): The Health Care Pulse of New York State Small Businesses
Citizen Action: The High Cost of “Pay to Play”
New York State Health Foundation: Conference on Insurance Market Reform
United Hospital Fund: Merging the Markets-Combining New York’s Individual and Small Group Markets into Common Risk Pools.
