Monday, June 5, 2017

NY Gov. Plans to Keep State Health Care Plans Intact


New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) plans to announce a series of steps on Monday to Safeguard Insurance Coverage against a possible Repeal of all or parts of the Affordable Care Act in Washington.

The Measures, taken via Emergency Regulations, will include requiring any Private Company doing business on the State’s Insurance Marketplace to Guarantee the 10 “Essential Health Benefits” required by President Obama’s 2010 Health Care Law. The Governor will also direct the State’s Health Department to Block any Company that Withdraws from the Exchange from Participating in Medicaid, its Children’s Health Plan, and Contracting with State Agencies and Entities.

In a statement, the Governor said that “health care is a human right,” noting that he had also firmed Plans to ensure Contraceptive and Abortion Protections, something he initially outlined in January. “With Washington trying to take a wrecking ball to our health care system, we are taking concrete steps to ensure core protections of the Affordable Care Act remain intact,” Cuomo said, adding that he would direct his Department of Financial Services to prevent any Discrimination based on Gender, Age, or Pre-Existing Conditions, a politically charged topic in the Health Care Debate. “New Yorkers will continue to have access to the quality medical care they need and deserve.”

The threat of a possible Repeal of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, has increased in recent weeks following the Passage of a Republican Replacement Plan in the House of Representatives. That Bill’s fate, however, is less than certain in the Senate. The House plan would allow States to Opt Out of the 10 Essential Benefits, which include things like Hospitalization, Maternity, Pediatric Care, lab work, and Mental Health and Addiction Services.

And while such Benefits would seem unlikely to be revoked in New York, a solidly Democratic outpost, Experts say that actions such as Cuomo’s are clearly meant to Codify the State’s Opposition to President Trump’s push to Dismantle Obamacare. “It’s a not a shock, but it sends a signal,” said Larry Levitt, a Policy Expert at the Kaiser Family Foundation, noting that New York traditionally took a heavy hand, in Regulating the Insurance Market. He added, “It puts down a marker that New York is solidly behind the consumer protections in the A.C.A.”

I think New York is the Best in the Country on Regulating the Health Insurance Industry.

Indeed, the Action on Health Coverage comes just days after Cuomo, a man with possible Presidential ambitions, reacted to another of President Trump’s high-profile Policy moves: the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris climate Accord. Shortly after the President’s remarks, Cuomo said that New York would continue to Abide by that Agreement’s Strictures on Greenhouse Gases, forming a Coalition with other States as similar Actions were adopted by Cities and Companies.

Cuomo, who is up for Re-Election next year, has proffered a number of other Actions meant to solidify his Progressive reputation in recent months, including a Plan for Tuition-Free College Education, an idea developed on the National Stage by Senator Bernie Sanders.

State officials say that more than one million New Yorkers now have Insurance as a result of the Affordable Care Act, and more than a dozen Private Insurers currently participate in the State’s Exchange.

Mr. Levitt said that such a move was meant to increase New York’s Leverage over Companies, adding that he expected that other states, particularly those run by Democrats, would consider such actions. “We’re likely to start hearing more from governors on health care as the Senate ramps up debate,“ he said.











NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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