The New York Health Act (NYHA) would create a single-payer healthcare system covering every person living or working in New York State — regardless of immigration status, employment, or ability to pay.
What It Does
Under the New York Health Act:
- All New Yorkers would be enrolled automatically with no premiums, deductibles, or copays
- Coverage would include medical, dental, vision, mental health, substance use treatment, and long-term care
- You would choose your own doctor — any provider in the state
- Private insurance companies would no longer be the gatekeepers of care
How It Would Be Funded
The NYHA replaces premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs with a progressive payroll tax. Most working- and middle-class New Yorkers would pay less than they do now because they would no longer be paying insurance premiums.
Employers would also contribute, replacing what they currently spend on employee health benefits. Studies have shown the NYHA would save New York hundreds of billions of dollars over a decade by cutting administrative waste and negotiating drug prices.
Where It Stands
The New York Health Act has passed the State Assembly multiple times, most recently with strong margins. The fight is in the State Senate, where corporate-backed legislators have blocked it from coming to a floor vote.
That changes when we organize.
What You Can Do
- Call your State Senator and tell them to support the New York Health Act
- Join a lobby day in Albany — NYC DSA Healthcare organizes regular trips
- Come to our meetings to connect with other healthcare advocates in the city
- Spread the word — most New Yorkers support single-payer when they hear what it actually does
Healthcare is a human right. The New York Health Act is how we win it here.