Healthcare professionals should not be hesitant to be involved in the political process. Through this activity, workers can improve the way of how care is delivered to patients. That is why medical personnel, including doctorally prepared advanced practice nurses, should actively participate in shaping political affairs. This assignment will demonstrate that the New York Health Act is essential in the state, present current evidence and my personal stance, and create a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo to promote the policy.
Policy Brief
The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed that the whole world was unprepared for that disease, and the US healthcare system was not an exception. All the states underwent significant challenges, meaning that authorities should adequately respond to the crisis. That is why the New York Health Act (NYHA) is a current healthcare policy in the state. This bill, S5474, was introduced to The New York State Senate (2021) to provide the state residents with more accessible and comprehensive access to health insurance. This can be achieved by developing a statewide program, creating the New York Health Trust Fund to finance the policy, and establishing an implementation commission (The New York Senate, 2021). Buonaspina (2020) also clarifies that this policy should include coverage for all medically necessary care and exclude denials of service. Since this policy offers to create a universal healthcare system at a state level, financial issues can refer to essential barriers.
Since the information above reveals that insufficient medical insurance can be an issue for New York, it is reasonable to begin with considering pre-pandemic data. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (2019), almost 95% of the New York population was insured, and half of them received coverage via their employers in 2019. Since New York City witnessed a record low unemployment rate of 3.4% in February 2020, one could suppose that a small part of the state population suffered from inadequate access to medical service (Leddy, 2020, para. 10). However, further research reveals that the sphere under analysis was not free from some issues. For example, the Campaign for New York Health (2019) admits that “50% of privately insured respondents reported skipping or delaying at least one type of care because of cost” (p. 5). It denotes that the presence of insurance does not guarantee that a person will access a healthcare professional in case of need. Furthermore, one should explain that minorities constitute a significant part of that 50%, meaning that the given state of affairs is an essential burden for the state.
Since some issues had existed before the Covid-19 pandemic occurred, it is not a surprise that the New York healthcare system has witnessed more significant problems because of the crisis. The disease led to the increasing unemployment rates that reached 20.3% for New York City in June and 15.9% for the state in July (Leddy, 2020, para. 10). It denotes that a significant part of the state population lost access to their medical insurance. Furthermore, the crisis subjected the whole nation to essential health issues, meaning that authorities should ensure that the population has sufficient access to medical care, and the NYHA has the potential to address the situation.
Now, it is reasonable to describe my personal stance regarding the policy. The current evidence above has demonstrated that a significant portion of the state population has insufficient access to medical service. This state of affairs is even more dangerous against the pandemic’s background. That is why state authorities should take specific measures to address the situation, and the NYHA seems a suitable option in this case.
Identifying a Policymaker
Even though the policy under investigation has many supporters, some officials oppose it, and Andrew Cuomo, the 56th Governor of New York State, is among them. Initially, he criticized the NYHA for being too expensive for the state. In a while, he started supporting a comprehensive and single-payer healthcare system, but he insisted that it should be done at a federal level (Leddy, 2020). Thus, it is reasonable to reach this official by mail or email to influence his stance on the policy. It is possible to send an email letter by filling in the form that can be accessed via the following link (New York State, n.d.). Simultaneously, a standard letter can be sent to this address: “The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of New York State NYS State, Capital Building Albany, NY 12224” (New York State, n.d., para. 4). Thus, the letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo is presented below.
Dear Governor Andrew Cuomo,
I am a doctorally prepared advanced practice nurse, and I am writing to you to comment on the New York Health Act.
Sufficient evidence demonstrates that New Yorkers significantly suffer from underinsurance because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This state of affairs means that many citizens are subject to health issues since they do not have adequate access to medical services. That is why I believe that state officials should address the situation, and the New York Health Act is a suitable option.
I know that you opposed the given policy for a few reasons, but it is possible to refute them. Firstly, the New York Health Act will eliminate private insurance, which will help citizens save $8,000 per year, while the state budget will grow because people will pay approximately $3,000 per year for the service (Buonaspina, 2020). Secondly, it is the state’s responsibility to ensure that its citizens have sufficient medical services access.
This information implies that there is some reasoning behind supporting the New York Health Act because it leads to essential advantages for the whole healthcare system.
Yours sincerely,
Full Name.
References
Buonaspina, R. (2020). Opinion: Now is the time for the New York Health Act.City Limits. Web.
Campaign for New York Health. (2019). From coverage to care: A people’s report on healthcare in New York [PDF document]. Web.
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2019). Health insurance coverage of the total population.Web.
Leddy, C. (2020). The Covid crisis made the New York Health Act more urgent, more unlikely, or both.Gotham Gazette. Web.
New York State. (n.d.). Office of the Governor. Web.
The New York State Senate. (2021). Senate bill S5474. Web.