Access to health care is a civil and human right, and it is essential that no one is left behind. But the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted systemic pre-existing inequities in health care. The need for higher Medicaid reimbursement rates is especially urgent given the State’s worsening mental health crisis, as woefully inadequate Medicaid payments for mental health services have resulted in a severe shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds and mental health professionals. The Healthcare Education Project—a joint initiative of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA)—is calling on Albany to “Close the Medicaid Coverage Gap” by increasing chronically low Medicaid reimbursement rates that have disproportionately harmed New York’s most vulnerable communities.
Join us for our virtual event the morning of Friday, February 24, when we gather policymakers, advocates, community leaders, industry experts, academics, and the media to discuss these important issues.
