NY Health Act’s Single Payer System Is Not The Answer To Meeting New Yorkers’ Healthcare Needs

The New York City Council Health Committee is violating the first rule of health care: to do no harm.

Today’s action calling on the State Legislature and Governor to pass single payer legislation is nothing more than political theatre. What is particularly disturbing is its members have failed to move beyond soundbites and examine the impact of the New York Health Act. The Health Committee’s vote to support the measure fails to clearly see the realities of a single payer plan and how it will affect New Yorkers.

If they looked at the fine print, they would see what was obvious to a growing number employers, unions, taxpayers and providers: a New York single payer system is infeasible and would lead to the following:

• Higher taxes for everyone — a mind-boggling $139 billion in new taxes the first year alone — and better health care for hardly anyone.
• Less access to the health care you want, need, and deserve.
• You lose your current plan.

This is supported by recent surveys, including a nationwide Gallup poll conducted in November, and released this week, finding by a margin of 54-40 percent, Americans oppose a “a government-run healthcare system” like the single payer system proposed in the New York Health Act.

Instead of pushing to destroy the current healthcare system based mostly on private health insurance that Gallup shows people prefer, the City Council should join our efforts to expand health insurance coverage for the five percent of New Yorkers who remain uninsured.

* * *
About Realities of Single Payer

The Realities of Single Payer is a diverse group of organizations united in support of universal coverage but in opposition to legislation that would create a Single Payer Healthcare System in New York.

The group supports universal healthcare coverage for all New Yorkers. It believes healthcare coverage should be provided through a combination of private and government funded health insurance. We support allowing a variety of healthcare coverage options – employer-based, private and public health insurance programs – rather than forcing all New Yorkers to use a single government-run health insurance program.

The goal of The Realities of Single Payer is to provide accurate information on this critical healthcare issue.