Yesterday, the party of NO, now in control of the House of Representatives, staged a vote to repeal the new health care reform law signed by the President in March; the repeal passed 245-189 with all Republicans voting for health care repeal along with just 3 Democrats. This vote is totally symbolic, because Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has already said that he won’t bring up repeal. (President Obama of course would veto repeal.) While the Republicans focus on playing to their right-wing base, Citizen Action and its allies around the nation are starting the hard work of making sure the law is implemented in a way that protects consumers.
The new federal health law is implemented by the states, and New York has to act this year! What Governor Cuomo and the Legislature do in the 2011 legislative session will determine whether the new federal health care law meets its promise of holding health insurers accountable and preventing the practices, like the denial of coverage for medically necessary care, that led to the new law in the first place. To help them shape the new law, the Public Policy and Education Fund, Citizen Action’s research and education affiliate, has produced a major new report that lays out what New York can do to create a pro-consumer health care system in New York, and that means aggressive enforcement, strong consumer assistance, clear consumer information, affordable rates, and reducing health care disparities based on race and ethnicity. Click here for the release and report.
This year, in his first year as Governor, Andrew Cuomo has the opportunity to achieve the passage of legislation that will serve as a national model for a pro-consumer health care system, and we’re looking forward to working with him and the Legislature to create that system.