“Promoting the general welfare” is a part of our social DNA. It is featured in the United States Constitution in the Preamble and tasked to Congress to do in Article 1 Section 8. It is part of their job scope to ensure that the general welfare needs of our people are met.
Also noted in our foundational document, as part of servicing the general welfare needs of the people, was the creation of “postal roads,” along with post offices, as resources needed by Americans. The Founding Fathers also called for the creation of free public libraries to keep our citizens informed and educated.
In short order, developing out what was meant by “general welfare” grew as the nation grew. In the early 1800s, with the construction of the Erie Canal, the government funded in the Northeast a fairly involved effort to improve upon the transportation needs of the growing country.
Also occurring during the first few decades of the new nation was the formation of free public schools to educate our population. Via the efforts of Horace Mann, Massachusetts became the first state to provide a public education to its state’s citizens. In time, as part of serving the general welfare needs of the nation, a free public education from K-12 became the norm.
The notion of building upon our transportation needs continued to be a priority with the mostly government funded and subsidized building of the Transcontinental railroad.
Year later, Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower greatly expanded on the notion of the government providing better roads with his support of the Interstate Highway System – a mostly toll-free enterprise that greatly contributed to the growth of this nation and common general welfare needs of the people.
Any student of our history will know that in times of need, more government programs have been created to serve the general welfare needs of our people. During the Progressive Era, we created government funded police departments and fire departments, passed zoning laws and worker safety measures. All in pursuit of the general good.
During the Great Depression, under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, we established many government programs designed to get the nation back to work and put forth some long-term reform efforts such as the Social Security system, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Securities Exchange Commission to help stabilize the economy and assist our people in the future.
Under the leadership of Lyndon B. Johnson and Congress, two major programs designed to serve the healthcare needs of our people—Medicare, for our senior citizens, and Medicaid, to serve the needs of our poor—were created.
Today, there is a push on the state level for the passage of the New York Health Act (NYHA) and on the national level for a Medicare for All health-care system to provide quality healthcare to all Americans.
The NYHA act, co-authored by New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera and New York State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, would create a comprehensive health-care system for all New Yorkers covering not only medical care but also vision, dental, mental healthcare and long-term care. It would truly be a sea-change improvement on the status quo, saving most Americans expenses in the process.
A Medicare for All national system would best serve the millions of Americans currently enduring poor coverage, with private insurance poorly covering major ailments and nickle-and-diming via co-pays every aspect of seeing a doctor. It would be a logical growth to our health-care system for a government-run program aimed at addressing our entire population’s needs, cradle to grave.
Providing for tuition free-college at state schools is also a logical outgrowth to providing for the general welfare needs of the people. An educated populace is in the best interest of all of us and we compete and interact with the rest of the world.
Ultimately, it is the role of government to do what it can to assist the people it serves. We have done this since our founding and have developed a stronger safety net over time.
So the next time you attend a town hall, press your elected officials on where they stand on providing for the healthcare and educational needs of us all. And as you do, remind them of the Preamble and Congress’s responsibility to promote the general welfare of all the people. Let them know that doing so is part of who we are. It is in our national DNA to do so.
This year has been a big one for health care in state government. The state Legislature finally passed the Reproductive Health Act and other legislation that had stalled in the state Senate when it was under GOP control. Gov. Andrew Cuomo led a successful effort to codify Obamacare in state law, just in case Republicans succeed in repealing the landmark health care law at the federal level. State lawmakers even got a chance to stage a statewide series of public hearings on single-payer health care – one of the most controversial proposals in state politics.
A new session of the state Legislature will begin in January, and it is likely that Democratic control of both houses of the Legislature will once again smooth the passage of numerous proposals affecting health care across the Empire State. Here’s a look at some issues coming up in the months ahead.
Assembly Health
Committee Hearing on Youth Tackle Football
Should children 12 and
under be playing tackle football? On
October 29, the Assembly Health Committee, which I chair, held a hearing in
Lower Manhattan on the health impacts of that.
There is a bill in the Assembly (A. 2692) to outlaw organized team
tackle football for children 12 and under.
The bill is sponsored by Assembly Member Michael Benedetto of the Bronx,
and I am a co-sponsor.
Following many news media
reports of cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) disproportionately
affecting professional football players and former players, many families,
physicians and researchers have been raising concerns regarding the health
effects of tackle football on children. Repeated
concussions can cause serious lifelong brain damage. The damage is greatest when players start
when their young brains are developing, and even more when play continues for
years.
Working Group Formed
to Consider Plans for Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses
Like almost all New York City
Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments, Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses
urgently need extensive and expensive work.
Because of concerns about the City’s
proposal for responding to this need, all of Chelsea’s local elected officials,
including me, called on Mayor de Blasio’s administration to put a hold on its
plans and participate in a working group with the elected officials, tenant
representatives, Community Board 4, and other advocates. We want real input from the tenants and the
community. We also stated that we will
not allow any plan that does not protect and preserve the Fulton Houses
community, with no displacement of residents from Fulton Houses or any
reduction of tenant rights or affordability.
The City agreed to put a hold on its
plans and join the working group, which is now looking at all the options for
organizing and funding the needed work.
Earlier this year, the City was developing
a plan to generate badly needed revenue to repair these public housing
developments in Chelsea. At Fulton
Houses, the City is proposing new construction, replacing some buildings,
repairs, and installing new private-sector management, to raise the funds
necessary to renovate, repair, and improve conditions at Fulton Houses and at
the nearby Elliott-Chelsea Houses. NYCHA
estimates that meeting the combined capital needs of the two developments would
cost approximately $344 million.
NYCHA’s draft plan for Fulton
entails constructing three new buildings in the complex, with tenants in two
existing buildings then moving into the first of the new buildings. The City would then replace two older,
low-rise buildings with two big new buildings.
Those buildings would be a mix of market-rate and affordable
apartments. The new income generated
would be dedicated to repairs and renovation of Fulton Houses and
Elliott-Chelsea Houses.
Under the City’s proposal, Fulton
and Chelsea-Elliott Houses would then enter the federal “Rental Assistance
Demonstration” (RAD) program, which uses Section 8 vouchers instead of
traditional public housing subsidies, and management of the complex would be
turned over to a private sector entity.
The working group held its first two
meetings in October. There will be more
meetings and public forums. We expect
the Working Group to present its proposals by year’s end.
I have serious concerns about the
City’s proposal. I am always wary of
privatization.
To raise critically needed funds for
the MTA’s capital plan, NYCHA and other programs, I am co-sponsoring several
proposals in Albany. These include
re-instating the stock transfer tax and raising the state income tax rate on
tax brackets above $1 million a year. I
also support proposals to increase corporate income taxes and to enact a
surcharge tax on so-called “pied-a-terre” luxury apartments that are not the
owner’s primary residence.
Enforcing the New
Law Against Floating Billboards
This past legislative session,
Senator Brad Hoylman and I sponsored legislation in Albany to prohibit boats
with illuminated billboards from operating in the navigable waters of the State,
such as the Hudson River. Governor Cuomo
signed our bill into law in August.
Despite the fact that it took effect immediately, Ballyhoo Media
continued to operate its “floating billboards” in New York waterways
in flagrant violation of the new law.
In September, Senator Hoylman and I
wrote to Mayor de Blasio asking that the City provide a detailed plan of how it
would enforce the law. Soon after, the
City announced that it had reached an agreement with Ballyhoo that bans it from
operating its floating billboards on any New York state waterway. The company agreed to pay $100,000 to the
City, and has since relocated its billboard boat to Florida. Now President Trump can enjoy them.
Tues., Nov. 12:
Upper Manhattan Town Hall on New York Health Act
At 6:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, November 12, I will be speaking at a Town Hall hosted by NYS Senators
Robert Jackson, on the New York Health Act, my bill that would provide
universal health care coverage in New York state by establishing an “improved
Medicare for all” single-payer health care program. The Town Hall follows up on last month’s
joint hearing on the NY Health Act, held in the Bronx by the Assembly and
Senate Health Committees.
NEW
YORK HEALTH ACT: I
co-chaired a joint hearing of the Assembly and Senate Health Committee on the
New York Health Act in the Bronx in October.
The Town Hall, which
is free and open to the public, will be at the YM/YWHA of Washington Heights
and Inwood at 54 Nagle Avenue (take the A train to 190th Street). Please RSVP by going online to
SenatorRJackson.eventbrite.com.
Wed., Nov. 20: NYCHA
Town Hall Meeting
On the evening of Wednesday,
November 20, the Manhattan delegation of the New York State Assembly is hosting
a Town Hall meeting on New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) public housing. It is free and open to the public. People will have a chance to voice their
concerns about NYCHA developments, hear from NYCHA officials on maintenance and
re-pairs, and learn how to connect with tenant lawyers.
The Town Hall meeting will be at
6:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 20 at the Boys and Girls Republic at 888 East
6th Street between Avenue D and the FDR Drive service road.
Census Job
Opportunities
Every ten years the United States
Census Bureau takes a count of every person living in the United States. It’s required by the Constitution. Getting accurate Census data in New York is
vital for ensuring that we receive our fair share of $650 billion in federal
funds for public education, public housing, infrastructure, and more — as well
as the number of seats we have in the U.S. House of Representatives. It also determines how much representation
each community has in the State Legislature and the city council.
It’s critical that every New Yorker
be counted in the 2020 Census. In the
last Census in 2010, New York City’s self-response rate was less than 62%,
significantly lower than the national 76% response rate.
There
are many jobs now available for workers to conduct the 2020 Census. To inquire about Field Representative Testing
in New York, please send an email with your name, zip code, and phone number(s)
to new.york.recruit@census.gov, or call 212-584-3495. For other questions or inquiries about Census
opportunities outside New York City, please call the New York Regional Census
Center at 212-882-7100.
Deadline to Register
to Vote for Presidential Primary
Under a new law passed by the
Legislature, you can now change your party enrollment closer to next year’s New
York presidential primary. February 14 –
Valentine’s Day – is the deadline to re-register to change which political
party you are enrolled in, or to enroll with a party for the first time, in
time to vote in New York’s April 28 presidential primary. If you are already registered at your current
address and enrolled with the party of your choice, you do not need to do
anything.
To make a change, send a Voter
Registration Form with your new choice to the board of elections office for
your borough or county. You can learn
more about registering or changing your party affiliation by going online: https://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister.html.
If you want to print out and mail
your voter registration form, the address for the New York County (Manhattan
& Roosevelt Island) Board of Elections is:
New York County Board of Elections
200 Varick Street – 10th Floor
New York, NY 10014
EPL/Environmental
Advocates Name Me an “Environmental Champion”
In October, EPL/Environmental
Advocates, the leading statewide organization that has advocated for stronger
environmental protections since 1969, released its 2019 Environmental
Scorecard, which grades all state legislators’ voting records on environmental
legislation.
I was proud to earn a 100% score
this year, and EPL/Environmental Advocates named me an “Environmental
Champion.” I am honored by this
recognition, and will continue working hard to earn the trust and support of
New Yorkers who believe that helping to protect and preserve our environment
remains one of government’s most critical functions.
In its “Scorecard,” which you can
find online at www.eplscorecard.org, EPL/Environmental Advocates rated
legislators on their votes on several critical bills that have now been signed
into law by Governor Cuomo. These
include the Climate Leadership and Protection Act; congestion pricing in
Manhattan; allocating $500 million for water infra-structure; a ban on
single-use plastic bags; and a bill to deny offshore drilling companies access
to state marine and coastal district lands.
Other
environmental legislation that has passed both houses of the Legislature and is
awaiting the Governor’s signature include bill to ban the dangerous pesticide
chlorpyrifos; bar the sale in New York of personal care products that contain
the toxic chemical 1,4-dioxane; and The Child Safe Products Act, which requires
manufacturers to list toxic chemicals that are present in their products, as
well as begin the process of phasing them out.
At the national level, the first four Democratic primary debates
discussed “Medicare for all” and how to pay for it. That topic lead all
the others in total minutes.
Meanwhile, New York state’s legislature held 3 open hearings across
the state to discuss the proposed New York Health Act single payer
health insurance. Totaling 28 hours, over 165 people testified. 20
legislators asked questions and probed for clarity.
At last count, close to a majority of NY legislators had committed to
bring the New York Health Act bill to a vote in both the senate and the
assembly in the 2020 session or in about four months. If the bill
passes and is signed by Governor Cuomo, New York will lead the U.S. in
implementing single-payer health insurance.
Fred Balfour at the WRFI Healthcare Desk explores some of the major
issues coming out of these hearings. And future programs will examine
the major issues in detail.
New Yorkers are waiting hours and lining up down the street to tell state legislators the same refrain: fix health care.
Workers, physicians, nurses, parents, business owners, the elderly and the infirm have been testifying at hearings around the state about the New York Health Act, which would establish universal, guaranteed health care across the state with a single-payer plan. During the most recent forum, at a public library in the Bronx last week, people filled a 150-seat auditorium to hear testimony that ultimately ended when the library closed for the day.
Walking into the speech pathologist’s Whitehall clinic,
patients generally don’t find much more than a small sparsely decorated waiting area, leading to an office dominated by Schneider’s desk, with a big window facing Independence Avenue.
Despite running a number of similar offices throughout the
city — and even a pair in Israel — Schneider runs his practice without the standard office staff one might expect. Because of that, Schneider tends to deal with all his own paperwork, most of which deals directly with health insurance companies.
Receiving standard health care can be challenging enough
through such insurance. When it comes to specialists like Schneider, it’s an everyday uphill battle that eats more and more of his time.
Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) – A proposed law could transform health care across the state. The New York Health Act would provide universal health coverage and would replace private insurance.
The proposal puts everyone under one health insurance plan, known as single-payer health care. Every New Yorker would have their health care covered by a public statewide fund, including existing federal support for Medicaid and Medicare.
The New York Health Act legislation prompted a passionate rally Thursday in front of the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester. They later moved inside the building for the state’s Committee on Health public hearing.
Margaret Marinari of Macedon is among the many who believe
single-payer health care system would keep more people from falling through the cracks. She said she’s underinsured and can’t afford to go to the doctor’s office. With her husband’s health declining, she said they’re struggling to pay for medication.
The NY Senate and Assembly Health Committees will hold a public hearing and press conference in Rochester on October 10 on the New York Health Act.
Millions of New Yorkers with insurance go without needed health care or face serious financial obstacles, debt and bankruptcy to get it.
The New York Health Act, A.5248/S.3577, would establish universal, comprehensive single-payer health coverage, including long-term care, for all New Yorkers. The program would be publicly funded, including existing federal support for Medicaid and Medicare. New Yorkers would no longer have to pay premiums, deductibles, co-pays, out-of-network charges, or have limited provider networks.
The Rochester hearing is the second in a series of statewide hearings, with other hearings to be scheduled in New York City and the Hudson Valley. The hearings will provide an opportunity for comments and suggestions from stakeholders around the state on the New York Health Act. Video and a transcript of the first hearing, held in Albany on May 28, can be found here.
More information, including a form if you wish to be invited to testify, can be found here.
What: Public hearing and press conference on the New York Health Act, A.5248/S.3577
Who: New York State Assembly and Senate Health Committees; witnesses including patient advocates; health care provider organizations; labor representatives; small business; and other health care experts and advocates
Where: Press Conference: Bausch and Lomb Parlor Hearing: Memorial Art Gallery Ballroom
At a lengthy, packed hearing on the bill held Tuesday in Albany, lawmakers heard from hospitals, health care leaders, municipal officials, patients, advocates, union leaders and others who all agreed that its goal of providing comprehensive, universal coverage to New Yorkers is laudable. But whether single-payer is the system to achieve that was the topic of spirited debate.
The New York State legislature held a daylong hearing Tuesday on a proposal to enact single-payer health care in New York. Supporters and opponents debated whether it’s the answer to the state’s health care
gaps.
Chair Richard Gottfried, a Democrat and prime sponsor of the legislation, known as the New York Health Act, laid out the problem. Millions of New orkers have some form of health coverage, he said. But many still face financial obstacles from private insurance companies in getting the care they need, because of unaffordable co-pays or coverage denials.
I represent Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown, and parts of Murray Hill and the Lincoln Center area in the State Assembly. I have been chair of the Assembly Health Committee since 1987. During off hours, I like to write Chinese calligraphy.
