This document provides guidance for advocates attending an event in Albany to advocate for the New York Health Act. It includes details on transportation logistics, the schedule of events for the day which includes a morning briefing, rally, and scheduled meetings with legislators. It provides tips for the meetings including what to discuss, who advocates may meet with, and what to ask of the legislators. Background information is also given on the policy and goals of the New York Health Act, including providing universal healthcare coverage to all New York residents at an overall lower cost than the current system.

1. ADVOCATING FOR
THE NEW YORK
HEALTH ACT
(A. 4738/S. 4840)
APRIL 4TH - ALBANY

4. 1) Travel Logistics/
Schedule of the
day
2) What to do
before, during,
and after the
meeting with
your legislators
3) Policy and
Politics of the
New York Health
Act
WHAT DO I NEED TO
KNOW?

5. LOGISTICS/SCHEDULE
1) Register at nyhcampaign.org or contact
katie@pnhpnymetro.org
2) Catch the bus from NY Metro area:
• 7:00am Bronx
• 7:00am Manhattan (Penn Station)
• 7:00am Manhattan (Washington Heights)
• 7:00am Brooklyn (Barclays Center)
• 7:00am Westchester
• 5:00am Long Island
3) Coming from outside NYC? Register and we will be in touch
about transportation options! Carpools coming together around
the state!

6. SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY
9:00am - Registration, Coffee and Bagels @ Emmanuel Baptist Church, 275
State St, Albany, NY 12210
10:15am - Briefing for the day (same location as registration)
11:30am - Rally for universal health care at West Capital Park!
1 - 3:30pm - Meetings with legislators on the New York Health Act
7:00pm – Back in NYC
SEE THE MAP IN YOUR MATERIAL PACKET

7. PRO TIPS
• Pack a lunch to save money or plan to eat at the
food court or at the food trucks outside.
• Security:You will have to pass through metal detectors
and have any bags scanned through an x-ray machine. Sharp
objects, such as pocket knives and nail clippers will not be
allowed into the building.
• Time: You will likely have to go through security to get from
the press conference to your meetings. Please allow at least 20
minutes for security delays.

8. WHAT TO WEAR?

9. WHO WILL I MEET
WITH?
• We are working on finalizing the schedule and teams now. You
will have the meeting schedule a few days before lobby day, and
there will be time to meet with your group on the bus or in
advance of your meetings to strategize.
• You will receive a background sheet with a photo of the
representatives you are scheduled to meet with as part of your
lobby materials.
• Meetings targeted Senators who have not yet or only recently
cosponsored, Assembly Members who did not vote for the
bill in 2016, and Republicans.
• You may be meeting with a staff person if the legislator is not
available. This can be as important or sometimes more important
because of the influence staff has on positions the legislator
takes.
• Make sure to note who you met with on the lobby visit report
form and get their business card for follow up.

10. MEETINGS CONT’D
• Meetings usually last between 15 and 30 minutes, but
sometimes longer!
• Most meetings will be in the office of the legislator, in the LOB
(Legislative Office Building) or the Capitol Building (CAP) –
See the map
• Sometimes meetings will be noted as “off the floor”
• This means that you will go to the Assembly or Senate
Chambers and request the legislator meet you outside to hold
the meeting in the hallway
• You will ask the Sgt of Arms to request the member’s meet
with you as scheduled and they will pull the member of the
floor. It’s a different kind of meeting, maybe you will have only
5 minutes so be prepared to make the ask up front and
quickly

11. ORGANIZING YOUR
TEAM
When you meet with your team, take a few minutes to decide who will
take on the following roles:
• Who will facilitate the meeting and make sure it stays on track?
• Aim to include constituents in your meetings.
• Who will share a personal story?
• Who make the “ask” of the legislator or staff person?
• Who will take notes and submit the report back form?
Make sure you have the legislator packet to give to the legislator or
his/her staff. These packets will be available at the morning briefing.
Plan to debrief after the meeting with your group.

12. TALKING POINTS
1) We as New Yorkers are concerned about our health care security. Recent events in
Washington D.C. show that the lawmakers do not understand how to protect people’s health care.
Even though the ACA is still the law of the land, Republicans in Congress may find new ways to
defund and undermine Medicare, Medicaid, Planned Parenthood and the ACA.
2) The New York Health Act is the only way to guarantee all New Yorkers have access to the
care they need (extending coverage to the 1 million currently uninsured), and it would cost less
than what we currently spend.
3) The New York Health Act will allow people to access care when they need it instead of
rationing based on ability to pay – a practice which leads to very poor health outcomes.
4) The New York Health Act has passed the Assembly in 2015 and 2016 with large majority
support. We expect it to pass again this year in the Assembly.
5) The Senate is only 4 Senators away from having a majority of the Senate behind this bill.
6) Now is the time for the New York State legislature to listen to the people—and the growing
movement for this bill—who want a health care system that guarantees access to care as a public
good, that is affordable, that is good for patients, seniors, business, nurses, doctors, and
hospitals. It is time to pass the New York Health Act.

13. THE “ASK”
1) Will you cosponsor the New York Health Act?
• If they say yes, ask them to fill out the form and submit it to
Assembly Member Gottfried or Senator Rivera.
2) If they won’t cosponsor at this time, ask “will you vote for it
when it in the Assembly when it comes up again this session?” or
“will you vote for it in your Senate Committee when it comes up for
vote in the future?”
3) If no to both 1 and 2…ask why not?
• Note the concerns from the representative on the report back
form in your packet
• Do not feel you have to have all the answers. Take note
and make sure they know we will follow up with them.
Practice saying, “Good question. We will get back to you on
that.”

14. FOLLOW UP
• Submit the lobby visit report back form in your
packets
• Send a thank you note by email
• Send follow up information based on your
conversation
• Consider staying in touch and forwarding
important information regarding the issue as it
comes up

15. POLICY & POLITICS OF THE
NEW YORK HEALTH ACT
1) Healthcare is under attack
2) Many people still uninsured
3) Healthcare costs keep going
up

16. ACA IS LAW OF THE LAND –
BUT WHAT’S NEXT?

17. Medicare
2.0
Medicaid
5.0
AC
ACA Marketplace
Insurance
0.65
Uninsured
1.4
Individual Insurance
1.1
Employer-based
Insurance
9.2
More than 1 Million in NYS
Remain Uninsured
(Population figures in millions)
Source: Census Bureau 2016. NYS Dept. of Health 2016

18. MILLIONS REMAIN UNINSURED
NATIONALLY
Millions
Note: The uninsured include about 5 million undocumented immigrants.
Source: Congressional Budget Office
53 54 55 56 56 56 56 57 58 58
37
32
26 25
26 26
53 53
41
36
30 29 29 29
0
20
40
60
80
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Before the ACA
ACA 2010
ACA Post-Supreme Court

19. UNDERINSURANCE IS NOW THE NORM

20. 16%
21%*
35%*
40%
46%
50% 49%
58%*
61%
63%
6%
8% 9%
13%*
17%
22%*
26%
28%
32%
39%*
10%
12%*
18%*
22%*
27%*
31%
34%
38%
41%
46%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
All Small Firms (3-199 Workers)
All Large Firms (200 or More Workers)
All Firms
* Estimate is statistically different from estimate for the previous year shown (p<.05).
NOTE: These estimates include workers enrolled in HDHP/SOs and other plan types. Average general annual health plan deductibles for PPOs, POS plans, and HDHP/SOs are for in-network
services.
SOURCE: Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits, 2006-2015.
MORE AND MORE WORKERS FACE DEDUCTIBLES OF $1,000
OR MORE (SINGLE COVERAGE)

22. Persistent Racial Health Disparities Exist

23. 0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08 10
US
SWIZ
NOR
NETH
GER
CAN
FRA
SWE
AUS
UK
NZ
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08 10
US
FRA
NETH
SWIZ
GER
CAN
NZ
UK
NOR
SWE
AUS
IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.
Note: $US PPP = purchasing power parity.
Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD Health Data, 2013 (Paris: OECD, November 2013).
Total expenditures on health
as percent of GDP
$8,508
$3,182
17.7%
8.9%
Average spending on health per
capita ($US PPP)

24. WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE?
Unlike in the US -- in every one of these countries, government
has a central role in:
• Funding the system
• Overseeing and regulating benefits and pricing
• Guaranteeing universal coverage
Our own experience with federally-run Medicare shows the
beneficial effects of a government-funded and regulated
system:
• Reliable, predictable financing
• Slower cost growth
• Transparent decisionmaking

25. THE ANSWER
We can do better, through a system
where government has a central role
and can cover everyone at less cost.

27. NEW YORK HEALTH ACT
A4738/S4840
• UNIVERSAL COVERAGE: EVERYBODY IN,
NOBODY OUT!
• COMPREHENSIVE BENEFITS
• NO FINANCIAL BARRIERS TO CARE: NO
DEDUCTIBLES OR CO-PAYS
• FUNDED BY PROGRESSIVE STATE TAXES
ALONG WITH EXISTING FEDERAL AND STATE
FUNDS
COVERS EVERYONE -- COSTS LESS!
Passed
in 2015 &
2016

28. • Every resident of NYS covered
• No barriers due to age, sex, income,
wealth, employment, or health
status
• No regressive insurance premiums
• No payments at time of service
• No deductibles, no co-pays
Eligibility

29. • Primary & Preventive Care
• Inpatient and Outpatient Hospital
Care
• Prescription Drugs
• Dental, Vision, & Hearing Care
• Free choice of doctor, including
primary care physician (PCP) and
specialists, and hospital
Comprehensive Benefits

30. • All providers paid in full by New York
Health, with no charges to patients
• New reimbursement methods will be
developed to replace fee-for-service
payments
• Rates negotiated with provider
organizations
Provider Reimbursement

31. • Progressive graduated payroll premium:
• 80% employer, 20% employee
• Graduated premium on non-wage income for high-
income earners
• Federal Medicare and Medicaid funds
• NY Health pays Medicare Part B premiums &
local share of Medicaid
98% of New Yorkers Will Pay Less*
*Friedman, 2015, http://www.infoshare.org/main/Economic_Analysis_New_York_Health_Act_-_GFriedman_-
_April_2015.pdf
Financing

32. Covering Everyone - Saving Money!
Additional Costs
Covering the uninsured and poorly-insured +1.4%
Elimination of cost-sharing +3.9%
Enhanced Medicare & Medicaid fees +3.8%
Savings
Reduced insurance administrative costs -9.9%
Reduced physician & hospital admin costs -7.2%
Bulk purchasing of drugs & devices -5.7%
Reduced fraud -1.9%
-24.7%
Source: Economic Analysis of the NY Health Act, Gerald Friedman, April 2015
4.0
11.2
10.8
26.0
-28.6
-20.7
-16.3
- 5.4
-71.0
2019 $B
Total Costs +9.1%
Total Savings
Net Savings -15.6% - 45

33. New York Health is Affordable and
Sustainable
• Eliminates burden of unnecessary,
wasteful administrative costs
• Unified, simplified funding allows control
and planning of future costs
• Unified purchasing lowers drug and
equipment prices
• Coordinated planning of investment
allows savings on facilities & equipment

34. WHO SUPPORTS
SINGLE PAYER?
New York Health has been endorsed by a long list of organizations, including the
New York State AFL-CIO, SEIU 1199, the New York State Nurses Association
(NYSNA), Local 32BJ SEIU, NY State United Teachers (NYSUT), United
Federation of Teachers (UFT), UNITEHERE! Local 150, UFCW Region 1 and
Local 1500, Communications Workers of America District 1 and Local 1180, IATSE
Local 1, United Auto Workers 9 & 9A, the Retail, Wholesale & Department Store
Union (RWDSU), RWDSU Local 338, UFCW, the Doctors Council SEIU, the
Committee of Interns and Residents SEIU, United University Professions, IATSE
Local 1, Utility Workers of America Locals 1 and 2, Restaurant Opportunities
Centers United, Make the Road/New York, VOCAL-NY, ACT UP/NY, African
Service Committee, Harlem United, Housing Works, New York Communities for
Change, MetroJustice of Rochester, Metro NY Health Care for All Campaign, New
York Immigration Coalition, the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, the
New York State American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Public Health
Association of NYC (PHANYC), Commission on the Public's Health System
(CPHS), Statewide Senior Action Council, the Green Party, the Working Families
Party, Citizen Action, along with 92 state legislators.
Add your name at www.nyhcampaign.org

36. SINGLE PAYER
SYSTEM COST
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single-payer-system-cost

37. HOW MUCH WILL I
PAY?
www.nyhealthact.com

38. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
TO YOU?
Take a minute to think about why this issue is going to make a
difference for you, your patients, your profession, your family, your
country.
What about a time you didn’t receive timely care that you needed?
What about when you delayed care or never received care because of
cost?
Personal testimonials are a very powerful tool in shaping
people’s opinions.
Remember:
“One person is a tragedy; a million is a statistic.”
See Sarah’s story at http://nyhealthact.com/

39. TALKING POINTS FOR
CONSERVATIVE LEGISLATORS:
PEOPLE LIKE HEALTH CARE

40. TALKING POINTS FOR
CONSERVATIVE LEGISLATORS:
TAX RELIEF
COUNTY GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS FOR MEDICAID
• $7.8 billion from county governments across the state
• Some upstate and western New York counties, such as Erie,
spend as much as 85% of property tax revenue on Medicaid.
• WHAT WILL THE NEW YORK HEALTH ACT DO?
“[end] the requirement for local social services districts to pay
part of the cost of Medicaid and replacing those payments with
revenue from the assessments under the [New York Health]
revenue proposal.”2 This simultaneously terminates county
Medicaid payments while providing Medicaid beneficiaries (and
everyone else!) with better, more comprehensive coverage.
1New York State Division of the Budget. “FY 2015 Enacted Budget”..
https://www.budget.ny.gov/pubs/archive/fy1617archive/enacted1618/2016-
17EnactedBudget.pdf

41. TALKING POINTS FOR
CONSERVATIVE LEGISLATORS:
BUSINESS IN FAVOR
• Eliminates the cost and headaches of running a health benefits
program.
• Eliminates conflicts with employees and unions over benefit cuts,
givebacks, etc.
• Reduce the cost of providing health benefits.
• Eliminates competition from businesses that don’t provide
benefits.
• Produce a healthier, more productive work force.
• Make health care costs controllable and predictable, eliminating
a major source of business uncertainty and barrier to planning.
• Over 100 businesses in New York State have endorsed this plan.

42. TALKING POINTS FOR
CONSERVATIVE LEGISLATORS:
OPIOID EPIDEMIC
A publicly funded system like the New York Health Act is
significantly better designed to deal with epidemics like opioid
addiction (prevention, treatment and rehabilitation)
• Removes significant barriers to accessing treatment, such as
insurance company approval and financial barriers
• Allows for timely treatment
• Treatment plans developed between provider and patient, not
insurance company bureaucrat

43. FRAMING THE ISSUE FOR
CONSERVATIVES
• Affordable: businesses will save $ as well as 98% of New
Yorkers
• Choice: Provides full choice of doctor or hospital to the patient
• Simple & Predictable: The funding mechanism provides
predictable costs for businesses, something the private
insurance system lacks
• Prevents “job-lock,” encouraging entrepreneurship
• A new documentary, FIX IT: Health Care at the Tipping Point,
makes the case for businesses to get behind single-payer. You
can find the link to the film in your resources packet. Watch it
at fixithealthcare.com

46. MORE INFORMATION
Campaign for New York Health www.nyhcampaign.org
PNHP www.pnhp.org
PNHP NY Metro www.pnhpnymetro.org
Healthcare-NOW www.healthcare-now.org
Movies:
fixithealthcare.com
thehealthcaremovie.net

47. AMPLIFY OUR
MESSAGE
• #MedicareforAll
• #PassNYHealth
• #EverybodyInNobodyOut
• See Social Media Toolkit at nyhcampaign.org/resources
• @NYHCampaign (TWITTER)
• www.facebook.com/CampaignforNewYorkHealth/

48. FURTHER
PREPARATION
After viewing this presentation, take some time to review the
FAQs and materials in your packets.
Remember, you don’t have to have all the answers. It’s important
to be there and show your support, and any questions that come
up that you don’t know how to respond to can be addressed at a
later time.
Thank you!!!

49. QUESTIONS?
Katie Robbins, MPH
Executive Director
Physicians for a National Health Program NY Metro Chapter
330-618-6379
katie@pnhpnymetro.org