Queens Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas and Bronx State Sen. Gustavo Rivera joined healthcare officials at a town hall at Elmhurst Hospital Wednesday, Oct. 28, to call on state lawmakers to support a push for the New York Health Act, which would establish a universal, single-payer healthcare system in New York State and replace most commercial insurance with a state-administered plan.

The elected officials joined Melanie D’Arrigo of the New York Health Act Campaign, Dr. Angelica Terepka, psychology specialist at Elmhurst Hospital and Dr. Jonathan Jimenez, executive director of NYC Care, for a healthcare town hall and resource fair hosted by González-Rojas.

Rivera, chair of the Senate's Committee on Health, said healthcare premiums and prices are skyrocketing across the state because the industry is "driven by profits." The New York Health Act, which seeks to automatically enroll every New York resident in a state-administered program regardless of age, income, employment or immigration status, would "fundamentally change that," he argued.

"W e are literally the only country where you can go broke because you get sick," Rivera told the town hall. " That is a reality that we all have to deal with. How many times have we, or our family members, or our neighbors, or our friends, made a decision about healthcare that has nothing to do with healthcare and has everything to do with whether you can afford that?"

He claimed that many New Yorkers will take an uber to a hospital during an emergency due to the high cost of calling an ambulance.

The New York Health Act, Rivera argued, would put New York State on an even footing with "basically every other country in the world" in terms of affordable healthcare. He said the state could pay for the estimated $160 billion required to fund the first year of the program by a graduated income tax but pointed to a RAND Corporation study which found that roughly 90% of New Yorkers would see a net reduction in healthcare spending because of the elimination of co-pays and premiums.

He additionally noted that RAND estimated that total healthcare spending in the state would decline because it would drastically cut administrative billing paperwork and allow the state to use bulk purchasing power to lower prescription drug costs.

"I t's a system that would cost less, provide better care, and transform the way that we actually provide care," Rivera said, arguing that the availability of affordable healthcare would incentivize New Yorkers to seek treatment earlier and secure more effective care as a result.

The legislation would also remove the need for unions to negotiate for better healthcare plans during contract negotiations, he argued, asserting that unions and employees would therefore be free to seek improvements elsewhere in their contracts.

González-Rojas, meanwhile, said the "time was yesterday" to pass the legislation, stating that legislators who support the bill must seek to build partners across as many sectors as possible in the coming months.

Both Rivera and González-Rojas said it was imperative to build momentum behind the legislation in the state legislature before trying to win the support of Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Hochul, who has not taken a position on the bill, has previously broken with progressive lawmakers over several pieces of legislation, including her decision to delay the deadlines of the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) earlier this year. Hochul also indefinitely halted congestion pricing measures in 2024, citing cost-of-living concerns.

But González-Rojas noted that Hochul eventually moved forward with the measure following the 2024 elections, albeit at a revised price of $9 instead of the earlier $15.

She forecasted that victory for Hochul in November's gubernatorial election may make her more receptive to a renewed attempt to pass the New York Health Act.

"After an election, I think there's room for taking bolder stances," González-Rojas said. "There's movement. There's momentum around this issue."