Timely access to reliable and affordable health care is a human right.
From day one in office, I have been fighting to ensure all New Yorkers, regardless of race, income, zip code or immigration status, have this fundamental right upheld. It is why I find the two-tier health care system, in which millions of New Yorkers live, to be so deeply unacceptable.
Every day New Yorkers face significant barriers to accessing essential medical care. Our state’s safety net hospitals work valiantly to provide underserved populations with the same level of health care available in affluent neighborhoods. It is time we adequately invest in these institutions after years of austerity, which has left them unable to keep up with rising costs and has eroded their ability to respond to community health needs.
This is why I have introduced the Health Equity Stabilization and Transformation Act, which, if adopted, would have a transformative effect on these hospitals and the communities they serve.
Safety net hospitals overwhelmingly serve New Yorkers who are on Medicaid or uninsured, but Medicaid only covers 61 cents of every dollar of care provided. Not surprisingly, these hospitals are always on the verge of financial crisis and cannot invest in the expansion of services our communities desperately need. As it stands, the governor’s budget proposal does not confront this reality and irresponsibly reduces safety net hospital funding by $700 million.
The Health Equity Stabilization and Transformation Act seeks to right this wrong. The bill would ensure safety net hospitals are fairly reimbursed for the health care services they provide by aligning Medicaid reimbursement rates with average regional commercial rates.
Crucially, if the state provides $1.3 billion for safety net hospitals, my bill would unlock $2.6 billion in new federal dollars for New York state. As a result, a total of $4 billion would now be directed to New York’s safety net hospitals while freeing up approximately $2 billion in disproportionate share hospital funding for the state to use in support of other priorities.
It makes no sense for New York to not take advantage of this important tool, especially in light of the fact that the federal government has already approved nearly $30 billion in directed payments in other states, with a third going to safety net hospitals.
As a proud Bronxite, it is clear to me that we must tackle the entrenched health disparities and systemic underinvestment in our health care system. I see and live with the impacts of New York’s unequal health care system every day. They are stark and reflected in local health outcomes – 33% of deaths in the Bronx are classified as premature, 7.9% of babies have a low birthweight, and emergency department visits for asthma are nearly double the NYC rate. The borough is home to more than 13% of Medicaid recipients in the state and our communities rely heavily on the care provided by Bronx safety nets, SBH Health System and NYC Health+Hospital.
Gustavo Rivera is a Bronx state senator and chair of the Senate Health Committee.
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