In preparation for the student lobby day on Feb 2nd, we created this guide to help prepare you for the big day!

1. STUDENTS FOR
THE NEW YORK
HEALTH ACT -
LOBBY TRAINING
BY KATIE ROBBINS
2016 STUDENT LOBBY DAY SPONSORED BY:
STUDENTS FOR A NATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAM
PHYSICIANS FOR A NATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAM NY METRO
AMERICAN MEDICAL WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION
COMMITTEE OF INTERNS & RESIDENTS

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

3. LOGISTICS/SCHEDULE
1) Make sure you are registered at pnhpnymetro.org or
contact Katie at katie@pnhpnymetro.org
2) Coming from NYC? Catch the bus in one of two places:
• 7:00am 33rd St btw 7th and 8th Ave
• 7:30am Corner of Morris Park and East Chester Road in the
Bronx
3) Coming from outside NYC? Katie will be in touch about
transportation options!

4. SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY
10:00 AM Convene near Au Bon Pain in Central Concourse
11:00 AM Paid Family Leave Press Conference (optional)
11:45 AM NYH Press Conference outside Assembly Chambers
1-3:00 PM Meeting with Legislators
4:00 PM Bus leave Albany for NYC, expects to arrive in NYC by 7pm
SEE THE MAP IN YOUR MATERIAL PACKET

5. PRO TIPS
• Pack a lunch to save money or plan to eat at the food
court.
• 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.
• 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.

6. WHAT TO WEAR?

7. WHO WILL I MEET
WITH ON 2/2?
• We are working on finalizing the schedule and teams now. You
will have the schedule a few days before 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.
• The planning team decided to target legislators who haven’t
cosponsored the legislation yet, which means they may not be
friendly to single payer. Be prepared for tough questions!
• 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 and get their business
card for follow up.

8. 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 – 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

9. DROP INS
• Each lobby team will have a few offices listed as “Drop
ins”. This means we didn’t schedule a meeting in advance,
but we want to drop in and thank the legislator for voting
for the bill in the Assembly. A few ideas how to make it
effective:
• Go to the office and drop in on staff to say thank you.
• Leave behind materials that will be provided to you
• Take a group photo with the staff in front of a picture of the
legislator’s plaque in front of the office
• Tweet the photo to the legislator. It’s a big deal when they
get a tweet!
• This helps build buzz about the bill.

10. 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?
• 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 from PNHP NY
Metro to give to the legislator or his/her staff.
Plan to debrief after the meeting with your group.

11. WHAT ARE WE
ASKING?
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 Perkins
• If the meeting is going really well…ask if they will reach out to their
colleagues who aren’t yet cosponsors?
• Will you appear at a community event to show your support?
• How else can we help you build support for this issue in your district?
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
• Ask them if there are any groups that they think we should be working
with in their districts to move them on this issue.
• 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.”

12. POLICY & POLITICS OF
THE NEW YORK HEALTH
ACT
Why is this issue still so
important to us?

13. UNINSURED

15. We are not getting our money’s worth
compared to other affluent countries
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
$0 $2,000 $4,000 $6,000 $8,000 $10,000
Lifeexpectancy,Totalpopulationatbirth,Years
Per capita health expenditures
NY
USA
Life expectancy short 6 years for US, 4 for NY
Or spending $6000 per person too much for US, $7000 for
NY

16. Rich Americans Live Longer
And The Gap Is Getting Wider!
For men, the gain from being rich has
grown from 6.4 years to 10.7 (+4.3
years); for women, from 4.2 to 9.5 (+5.3
years).
Life expectancy is declining for the
poorest 40% of women!
Life expectancy at age 55 shown for different points on income ladder for people turning
55 in 1975 and 1995.

18. New York Health Act
A5062/S3525
• NYHA PASSED THE ASSEMBLY IN MAY 2015 WITH HUGE
MAJORITY SUPPORT
• NEED TO PASS IT AGAIN IN THE ASSEMBLY BEFORE
JUNE 2016.
• 20 COSPONSORS IN THE SENATE (NEED 32 TO PASS,
REQUIRES SUPPORT FROM REPUBLICANS)
• DO NOT EXPECT IT TO GO FORWARD IN THE SENATE
THIS SESSION, BUT WE WANT TO INCREASE THE
NUMBER OF COSPONSORS TO SHOW MOMENTUM
• AM GOTTFRIED / SEN PERKINS ARE LEAD SPONSORS.
Passed
92-47

19. MAIN FEATURES OF THE NEW
YORK HEALTH ACT
• Universal coverage – 100% of residents covered — Everybody in,
nobody out!
• Comprehensive benefits (includes all medically necessary care
including mental health, vision, dental, prescriptions, etc)
• No deductibles or co-pays – eliminates discrimination by insurance
status. No more bankruptcies just because you get sick
• Builds on the ACA – states allowed to innovate in 2017.
• Reduces reliance on property taxes to fund health care, a huge issue
in New York State
• Funded by progressive income tax along with Federal funds
• This is the only way to cover everyone while spending less! A recent
study showed an estimated savings of $45 Billion/year. 98% of New
Yorkers will pay less.

20. Sources of health care spending in
New York State 2019 without further
reform (projected)

21. Savings from New York Health
2019 $ Billions
Total $71B – 25% of current spending

22. Expanded and Improved
Access to Health Care with
the New York Health Plan
Added cost $26 B - Net savings of $45 B

23. Covering Everyone while Saving Money!
Additional costs from System Improvement
Covering the uninsured and poorly-insured +1.4%
Elimination of cost-sharing and co-pays +3.9%
Enhanced Medicare & Medicaid fees +3.8%
Savings
Reduced physician & hospital admin costs -7.2%
Reduced insurance administrative costs -9.9%
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
-20.7
-28.6
-16.3
- 5.4
-71.0
2019 $B
Total Costs +9.1%
Total Savings
Net Savings -15.6% - 45.0

24. WHO SUPPORTS
SINGLE PAYER?
New York Health A.5062 (Gottfried), S.3525 (Perkins) 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.

25. WHY SHOULD CONSERVATIVE
DEMOCRATS & REPUBLICANS SUPPORT
THE NEW YORK HEALTH ACT
• Affordable and Fair, businesses will save $
• Choice: Provides full choice of doctor or hospital to the
patient, with no out of network fees or charges
• 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.

26. 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.
Personal testimonials are a very powerful tool in lobbying.
Remember:
“One person is a tragedy; a million is a statistic.”
Be ready to have one or two sentences to share in a meeting.

27. 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!!!

28. QUESTIONS?
Please contact
Katie Robbins
330-618-6379
katie@pnhpnymetro.org