Healthcare

Every year, thousands of our neighbors with health insurance go without needed health care because of cost, or they suffer financial hardship to get it. And in Assembly District 150, hospitals, nursing homes, and even medical transport services have closed because what they are paid to provide service is less than what it costs.

We all share the fear of suffering serious health problems or watching as family and friends suffer. Too often, the healthcare we need is inaccessible and unaffordable. Even with insurance, the cost of premiums, deductibles, copays, out-of-network charges, and out-of-pocket costs from unfair denials of coverage can overwhelm your household budget and ability to cope.

People deserve high-quality care in our community, they deserve the security of a system that will care for our elderly, and they want the freedom to choose their own doctors, hospitals, and other providers. We don’t want insurance companies dictating what doctors we can see or what care is available in our community. 

We can find another way. We can improve healthcare and reduce costs for individuals and families.

I support comprehensive health care reform that:

• Guarantees doctors are paid for their knowledge and skills and healthcare workers are paid for their valuable and essential work.

• Allows you to use the doctors and healthcare facilities of your choice.

• Maximizes federal Medicaid and Medicare funding—and eliminates the need for our Assembly District’s taxpayers to contribute $32 million annually for Medicaid costs.

• Provides for long-term and nursing home care.

Our current healthcare system produces what it is designed to produce. It is inadequate and inefficient and is much too expensive. As my parents used to say, “You can’t plant corn and expect to harvest potatoes.” I will work with fellow legislators and the Governor’s Office, our doctors and healthcare professionals, and the many healthcare system stakeholders to redesign healthcare delivery in New York State. 

I want to help plant the seeds for a better healthcare system for our residents. I want to redesign the system to deliver accessible, affordable, quality healthcare.