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The New York State Assembly approved a legislation that authorizes the creation of a single-payer universal health care system.

In a recent statement, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried announced the passage of the New York Health Act. This is the fourth consecutive year, the chamber, controlled by Democrats,  passed a universal health care bill.

According to Speaker Heastie, “The Assembly Majority believes that decisions regarding medical care should not be based on cost.”

Additionally, he said that they believe that “New Yorkers and all Americans deserve a health care system that guarantees coverage for all.” That is their main reason for passing the New York Health Act “despite Washington’s efforts to undermine access to affordable care.”

Support for universal health care is growing

On the other hand, Health Committee Chair Gottfried emphasized that the “health care system is rigged against working people. The Congress and the Trump administration are working to restrict health care access even more.”

Gottfried believes that New York can do better with a single-payer health care system that covers every New Yorker and funded fairly. He noted that the public support for the legislation is growing even in the State Senate.

Under the New York Health Care Act, all New Yorkers will be eligible to enroll for health coverage regardless of age, income, employment or wealth. There will be no network restrictions, deductibles or co-pays.

New Yorkers will receive the following health benefits:

• comprehensive outpatient and inpatient medical care
• primary and preventative care
• prescription drugs,
• laboratory tests,
• dental, hearing, vision, rehabilitative, and all benefits required by current state insurance law, by publicly funded medical programs or provided by the state public employee package.

“Assembly passage is an important step as we continue to build support for universal health care to benefit everyone,” said Gottfried.

Meanwhile, Goerge Gresham, the president of 1199SEIU, said they’ve been fighting for universal heath care coverage for decades. He praised the Assembly for approving the New York Health Care Act. He said, We are hopeful that our state can reach our goal of affordable, quality healthcare for all."

On the other hand, Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, president of the New York State Nurses Association, commented, "Not one more death from lack of healthcare in the richest country in the world. Not one more. We will advocate until we have a healthcare system that delivers high quality care to every resident of New York."