ROCHESTER, N.Y. — NYS Senator Jeremy Cooney of Rochester introduced legislation on Monday that would provide universal health care for all kids in New York. If passed, the bill would offer every child from birth to age 19 free health care.
Children already on Medicaid or those who would qualify, would continue to receive that coverage, while all other children would be eligible to sign up for a Child Health Plus plan with no co-pays or deductibles.
News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke spoke with Senator Cooney about how the proposal would work and how much it might cost NYS taxpayers.
Jennifer Lewke: “When you say universal healthcare for children, do you mean all children?”
Senator Cooney: “Yes, it would not be income dependent.”
Jennifer Lewke: “So, I’m a parent, I work, I have access to health care for my family through my employer, but the prices are high, the co-pays are high. I can break my children off the family plan?”
Senator Cooney: “No more family plans so, you and your partner, your spouse, can have healthcare coverage through your employer like you normally do, you go through the normal process depending on how your employer works but in terms of your dependents, your children, if they are NY residents, assuming they are then they would be completely covered under this legislation…Health care is a right and our children are the best place to start that investment because we know that healthy kids become healthy adults.
Jennifer Lewke: “Has this been done in any other states?”
Senator Cooney: “No, New York would be the first in the nation to do this.”
Jennifer Lewke: “How will the reimbursement work for medical doctors and facilities?”
Senator Cooney: “So, we’ve been talking with the American Academy of Pediatrics and some local pediatricians as well. We want to make sure that we are providing a rate which is actually something our pediatricians can use for the services…Our legislation actually creates a new rate. So, if you are Medicaid eligible you will continue to get the Medicaid rate that comes from our federal government, under this new program, it’ll be a new rate that’ll be higher than the Medicaid rate so that our providers, our pediatricians can be reimbursed appropriately.”
Jennifer Lewke: “How much is this going to cost taxpayers?
Senator Cooney: “So, the cost to actually administer the program will actually be relatively less because the NYS Department of Health would administer the program but in terms of the premium costs that would now be absorbed by the state, that’s what we are calculating now and we’ll have that information before the start of the legislative session in January. I do anticipate it not being as high as a lot of people think it will be because children are relatively healthy which means that the cost to insure them is actually pretty low when you talk about a per child basis. Yes, there will be an impact to state taxpayers but everyone will get the benefit and long-term savings to the state are significant because a lot of the chronic diseases, asthma, diabetes, heart conditions, can be detected in adolescence and we can prevent that from exacerbating and getting worse.”
News10NBC reached out to a handful of insurance experts and economists to get their take on Senator Cooney’s proposal. It was so new, they had not yet had time to review it.
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