The pandemic has laid bare the fragility of our current healthcare system, and the inadequacy of tying insurance coverage to employment. We have a moment to rewrite the status-quo, and center providers and patients in how we deliver care. Individuals spend too much time tied up in negotiations with their insurance provider, and fighting for coverage of necessary treatment. Providers can’t devote as much time to patient care, when they have to manage administrative burden and complex medical billing. I believe the best way forward is single-payer healthcare, and I’m a proud champion of the New York Health Act.
I’ll continue to be supportive of ways we can continue to expand healthcare access and coverage, as we push towards this system, and work to eliminate the burdens of our current system. In the meantime, I’ll work to close the coverage gap that allows our lowest-income and undocumented New Yorkers to live without any measure of protection in a health crisis.