Opinion: Kamala Harris sees the ‘silver wave’ coming

Too many New Yorkers are struggling with the rising costs of health care. Each year, more of our paycheck goes toward premiums and out-of-pocket costs as we watch our networks shrink and our benefits decrease. There are more Americans aging into long-term care than ever before. Working families face a choice to either pay for these services or dedicate unpaid time to provide care for their loved ones. Both of these options can quickly chew through any savings.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent long-term care proposal would be a seismic shift for the high cost of health care we face. It would create a new Medicare benefit that would increase access to long-term care services and strengthen the program. Adding a long-term care benefit would be a first-in-the-nation policy. Many New Yorkers may not realize that long-term care services are not currently covered under Medicare, except under very narrow and limited circumstances. As it stands today, in order for an individual to receive long-term care services, they must spend all of their savings and meet low-income eligibility thresholds in order to qualify for Medicaid. Even then, they face long waiting periods. 

By next year, roughly 25% of New Yorkers will be over 60 years old. According to the federal Department of Health and Human Services, 70% of people who turn 65 years old will require long-term care services in their lifetime. New York is facing a significant challenge when it comes to meeting the health care needs of our aging and disabled population, and we must act now if we hope to address it. Tomorrow, we need to choose a president who will expand our health care and improve affordability, rather than gutting it with no viable alternative. 

We have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to address the long-term care crisis facing New Yorkers. There are countless New Yorkers who forgo care due to high costs, but it is particularly egregious that there are seniors rationing their medicine and going without the care they need because our system prioritizes profit over patients. 

As New Yorkers, we don’t have to wait to be rescued. New York state already has a solution that would guarantee long-term care for every resident and full-time employee in our state: the New York Health Act. Not only would the New York Health Act cover long-term care, it would also provide comprehensive and universal health benefits to every New Yorker through a single-payer system that’s structured on your ability to pay.

New Yorkers deserve policy solutions that address their immediate needs so they can take care of their families. Harris is focusing on expanding health care coverage because she recognizes how impactful the high costs of care are to regular working families. For the first time this election cycle, the presidential race is centering health care as a major kitchen table issue. 

Here in New York, we can swiftly address health care affordability with the New York Health Act. Instead of paying skyrocketing premiums to insurance companies and hoping that they’ll cover your care when you need it, let’s include everyone from Gov. Kathy Hochul to your grandmother on the same plan that lowers costs, curbs profiteering and ensures access to long-term care benefits for all. 

The New York Health Act is the only bill before the state legislature that combines medical, dental, vision, hearing, pharmaceuticals and long-term care into one comprehensive plan. What’s more, we can provide these benefits and help more than 90% of New Yorkers spend less on health care costs than they do now. The health benefits that New Yorkers would receive under the New York Health Act would be a significant upgrade to any other health plan in existence today. 

Expanding health care access nationally will help every American, but it is extremely difficult to pass meaningful health policy with a gridlocked Congress. While we will strongly support the efforts of a future Harris administration to get it done nationally, we don't have to wait to help ourselves, our families and our fellow New Yorkers. We can pass the New York Health Act and become a model for the nation by ensuring that every New Yorker has the comprehensive health care we deserve.