‘Everybody In - Nobody Out!’
Chanting “Everybody in - Nobody out,” NYSNA nurses joined doctors and patients to call on Albany to pass a law guaranteeing healthcare for all New Yorkers.
The bill, New York Health, would create a single-payer insurance system that would cover all New Yorkers. “We know that every other industrialized nation, except ours, has a national healthcare system. That’s because in this country, healthcare is not a public service - it’s a big business,” NYSNA President Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, RN, told the crowd of supporters and lawmakers.
“We’re tired of seeing our patients suffer because they cannot afford care.”
Following the rally, organized by Physicians for a National Health Program, NYSNA members attended lobby appointments for face-to-face meetings with lawmakers about healthcare for all.
Fix a broken system
Richard Gottfried, the chair of the Assembly Health Committee and the bill’s lead sponsor, pointed to a broken system that spends “tens of billions of dollars,” annually as nothing more than an unnecessary obstacle to access to care.
A single-payer system would replace private, corporate health insurance with universal coverage — with no corporate control or profit. Rich or poor, young or old — everyone will be in the same boat, with access to the same level of care.
“New York’s patients are still saddled with co-pays and no ability to pay. We don’t need health insurance companies derailing quality healthcare with huge administrative waste,” said Gottfried.
Read more about our campaign for healthcare for all New Yorkers — and join our team.