Letter: NY stalling on health insurance
State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Rockville Centre. (Sept. 7, 2011) Credit: Charles Eckert
The federal health care reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, provides federal money for states to set up insurance exchanges that offer the public health insurance plans that should be more affordable than private plans. This money is now being made available to states.
The State Assembly has voted to accept, but GOP senators are blocking the Senate from accepting it, stating that they want no part of the "Obamacare" plan. They acknowledge that they are doing so to remain loyal to their party.
State legislators are themselves the beneficiaries of a government-run insurance plan. Their plan is provided for them at little or no cost to them. New York has a chance to help New Yorkers who have no insurance or who are struggling to pay, by taking the federal money. The Affordable Care Act is far from perfect, but it is the first time in our history that a plan has been enacted into law that provides important protections to the insured from private insurers and offers a chance to set up insurance plans that consider the insured patient more important than profits.
Forget "Obamacare." Do you care?
Pauline Nager, Levittown
Editor's note: The writer is a retired librarian.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 25: Wrestling and hockey state championships On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay recap all the state wrestling action from Albany this past weekend, plus Jared Valluzzi has the ice hockey championship results from Binghamton.
