As Senate Approves ‘Coverage for All,’ Focus Shifts to Assembly on Health Coverage for Undocumented New Yorkers
Inside the
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In the final days of the legislative session in
On Thursday, the
"The Assembly is expected to return to
"We are actively working to both educate our Assembly members and count votes to ensure that if it hits the floor, it'll be supported," said Assemblymember
Since last year, the bill has gained momentum after Governor
But the governor reneged on that pledge when she released her budget proposal this year, and waited till May to request a waiver from federal officials to expand income eligibility for the Essential Plan to New Yorkers making up to 250% of the federal poverty level, up from 200%. Undocumented immigrants were not included in that request. State legislators, however, made their own separate request seeking a waiver under Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act to expand access to all undocumented immigrants as well.
In a
"With clear guidance from the federal government that we can utilize 1332 waiver funding to expand health coverage to eligible undocumented New Yorkers at no cost to the state, passing Coverage for All through the Legislature is essential," Rivera said in his statement. "We will continue to fight to make sure New Yorkers living in the shadows can access healthcare beyond the emergency room when they need it because every
Proponents of the bill have repeatedly emphasized that it will not cost the state any additional dollars and in fact save the state money. The state's Essential Plan, which covers New Yorkers between the ages of 19 and 65, already has a
It's "not just fiscally smart, but also obviously the right thing to do," González-Rojas said, "to make sure that everyone can enroll in health insurance and get some preventative care before having to wait till their symptoms are so escalated, we're spending so much more in emergency medical costs." The bill does require the state health commissioner to request a 1332 waiver from the federal government, so its implementation would hinge on the delivery and response of that request.
A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker
The governor has, however, raised concerns about the fiscal impact of the proposal and expressed concern that it could exceed projections if enrollment is higher than expected. The governor's office did not respond to a request for comment.
"Whatever her concerns were should now be appeased by the federal government's response," said
"As we just saw coming out of a global pandemic, we're only as healthy as our neighbors are. So making sure that everyone has access to health insurance and the ability to purchase health insurance is critical," Awawdeh said. "It was critical before COVID and it's even more critical now as we continue to try to recover from the pandemic."
While advocates wait for Assembly members to return to
"We are hopeful. We are positive," she said. "We're hoping that
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@samarkhurshid @GothamGazette
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