1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

We demand immediate passage of the New York Health Act (NYHA) – S3425/A1466, sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Amy Paulin. This bill would guarantee comprehensive, single-payer healthcare for every New Yorker—regardless of income, job, or immigration status—with no premiums, deductibles, or copays. The current system is failing us. Forty-six percent of New Yorkers cannot afford an unexpected $1,000 medical bill. Sixty-eight percent struggle with medical costs, and over half delay or avoid care entirely. Medical debt remains a crushing burden—New York City recently canceled $135 million in debt for 75,000 residents, yet the problem persists. The insurance industry is predatory. The Justice Department recently sued NewYork-Presbyterian for anticompetitive deals that block patients from lower-cost plans. We don't have a healthcare system—we have a system that maximizes corporate profit by placing patients in harm's way. Universal healthcare works. Every other wealthy nation guarantees care as a right, with better outcomes at lower costs. The NYHA would save New York billions annually by eliminating private insurer overhead and negotiating fair prices. For the most vulnerable, this is survival. 34% of Black transgender people in the U.S. live in extreme poverty, earning less than $10,000 per year. Autistic people—especially Black and trans autistic women—are routinely mistreated in clinical settings. Immigrant communities, displaced by U.S. interventions abroad, arrive here only to face a healthcare system that treats them as expendable. The NYHA covers everyone. To those who say it's too expensive: The status quo is more expensive—in lives, suffering, and wasted dollars. To those who say it's government overreach: healthcare is a human right, not a commodity. This is a grassroots demand. Nurses, labor unions, faith groups, and disability justice organizations are mobilizing. In 2026, voters are watching—and they will remember who stood with the people. Every New Yorker deserves healthcare, not medical debt.