Unequal Budget: The Impact of the 2011-12 State Budget Proposals on New York Communities of Color (click to download PDF)

During these difficult economic times many New Yorkers are experiencing increased hardships. Unemployment looms large at 8.3 percent, foreclosure rates continue to rise, and the percentage of New Yorkers living in poverty has reached a 15-year high of 14.2 percent. While the recession has impacted many New Yorkers, it has been especially devastating for communities of color. Historically, New Yorkers of color have battled above-average unemployment and poverty rates. The recession has exacerbated these disparities.

Corporate Cash, Personal Wealth: Randy Altschuler’s Campaign Funding and What it Means for Long Island (click to download PDF)

Voters in New York’s First Congressional District, on the east end of Long Island, will face an important choice in just a few days on November 2nd. The incumbent, Timothy H. Bishop (D), has been in office since 2002, focusing on such issues as the economy, veterans, the environment, access to education, and health care reform.

Federal Tax Policy at a Crossroads (click to download PDF)

The United States Congress is currently considering what action to take regarding a range of income tax cuts that were enacted at the behest of President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003, and which are currently scheduled to expire at the end of the current calendar year, 2010. Most media coverage of this debate has focused on whether or not the portions of those tax cuts that are specifically targeted at the wealthiest two to three percent of taxpayers should be allowed to expire as President Obama is recommending.

Race Matters in Health Care: Update of “Race Matters: Impact of the 2010-11 Executive Budget Proposal,” including impact of the Assembly and Senate budget proposals (click to download PDF)

Just over one week ago, the Public Policy and Education Fund (PPEF) released its 2010 “Race Matters” report that detailed the impact of the 2010-11 Executive Budget on people of color and immigrants. This follow-up report updates the health care section of the Race Matters report by adding a preliminary analysis of the budget proposals made by the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate, and comparing them to the Executive Budget.

Race Matters: Impact of the 2010-11 Executive Budget Proposal (click to download PDF)

While many New Yorkers of all races enjoy great educational, professional and social success, the majority of people of color in the Empire State remain perilously stranded in the shadows of the American dream. Although both the nation and state are led by accomplished people of color, the overall condition of people of color in New York is distressing, and the current national economic crisis and cuts in government programs only serve to further harm our communities.

National Minimum Medical Loss Ratio Would Save Tens of Billions of Dollars For Businesses, Individuals (click to download PDF)

A report released by Health Care for American Now and Citizen Action’s Binghamton chapter finds that setting a national minimum amount for health insurers to spend on health care as opposed to items like CEO salaries and lobbying (as proposed by Senator Al Franken of Minnesota) would save consumers tens of billions of dollars.

United Healthcare: New York Customers Lose While the Company Fights Reform (click to download PDF)

United Healthcare is a New York subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group (UHG), based in Minnesota. UHG is the second largest health insurance company in the nation, with 2008 revenues of $75.4 billion (25th on the Fortune 500 list), and over 70,000 employees nationwide. UHG CEO Stephen Helmsley made $3.2 million in compensation in 2008, but this was a small percentage of his recent earnings; in February of 2009, for example, Helmsley reportedly made nearly $100 million when he exercised his company stock options.1

GHI/HIP and the Need for Federal Health Care Reform (click to download PDF)

Group Health, Inc. (GHI) and HIP Health Plan of New York (HIP) are two long-time non-profit health insurers that affiliated in 2006. (In this report, the combined company is referred to as “GHI/HIP”). GHI/HIP is the largest health insurer based in New York State, with a combined membership of more than 4 million members in several northeast states, including New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts, and combined revenues of over $7 billion. In 2006, the two companies became units of the same company, EmblemHealth.1 GHI/HIP now operates three health insurance plans in New York: GHI HMO Select and HIP HMO, both of which are HMOs, and Group Health, Inc., a non-profit indemnity insurer.

Three Proposals to Pay for Health Care Reform without Hurting Struggling Families in New York (click to download PDF).

Health care reform can save us all money in the long-run by bringing all Americans into the health insurance system and rooting out the inefficiencies that drive up costs. But to make that happen, Congress will first need to raise revenue to finance an overhauled health care system.

Three Proposals to Pay for Health Care Reform without Hurting Struggling Families in New York (click to download PDF).

Health care reform can save us all money in the long-run by bringing all Americans into the health insurance system and rooting out the inefficiencies that drive up costs. But to make that happen, Congress will first need to raise revenue to finance an overhauled health care system.