Single Payer New York
Media Advisory
www.singlepayernewyork.org
For Immediate Release: June 6
For More Info: Mark Dunlea, SPNY, 212 741-8192 xt 5#
Laurie Wen, PNHP-NY Metro, 917-446-1610
Notice of News Conference
Date: Tuesday, June 7
Topic: Introduction of state legislation for a state single payer Medicare for All health care system
Time: Noon
Location: Rm. 130, LCA press room, Legislative Office Building, State and Swan St., Albany
Single payer advocates will join with leaders of the Legislative Health Committees on Tuesday June 7 at noon to announce the introduction of legislation to create a Medicare for All style universal health care system in NY.
The announcement, in the LCA news conference room in the Legislative Building, will include Dr. Garrett Adams, national President of Physicians for a National Health Program; Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried; Senator Tom Duane, ranking minority member of the Senate Health Committee; Shaun Flynn, Director o f Government Affairs for the NYS Nurses Association; Danielle Alexander, Albany Medical College class of 2013; and representatives of the faith community.
Last month the state of Vermont became the first state to make health care a right, adopting a universal health care system that they intend to end up as a single payer system. California is also considering a single payer system; the state legislature has twice recently passed single payer only to have it vetoed by the former Governor.
Like Vermont, state legislators several years ago under the leadership of As. Gottfried commissioned an independent study of the best way for New York to provide universal health care. Like Vermont and the other states that have examined the issue, the report found that a single payer system was the most-cost effective option, covering all residents while reducing overall health care expenditures in the state by $20 billion annually by 2019. The study found that single payer would save $28 billion annually compared to the insurance mandate model that Congress adopted.