New York State Moves Towards Universal Healthcare Amid Federal Uncertainty

Image Credit: @darby via Twenty20

While the nation has been battling over health care, New York state has been very quietly inching closer and closer to universal health care. As you likely already know, a repeal of the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare) was passed in the House and is currently waiting to be voted upon in the Senate. It's pretty safe to say that on the national level health care is very much in limbo. That said, on the state level New York might be finding a way out of the mess.

For the past 20 years, a bill supporting universal health care "has been floating around Albany," as the site Lenny Letter put it. Because of the upheaval on the national level, and thanks to the support of dedicated activists, that bill is now getting more support and attention than nearly ever before. In fact, last Tuesday the bill passed the New York State Assembly, bringing it one step closer to be enacted. The next stop is for it to pass the State Senate, which must happen during this legislative session which ends on June 21. If it doesn't pass, then it's back in holding until the next session in 2018.

If signed into law and put to work, this bill would enact a statewide single-payer health care program. As Senator Jeffrey Klein explained to the Huffington Post, "A single-payer system would create the peace of mind that residents could have access to quality medical care including outpatient and inpatient medical care, primary and preventive care, prescription drugs and laboratory tests." California is also in the process of pursuing a single-payer statewide system.

All eyes on you, New York.