Objective

To guarantee every New Yorker immediate access to emergency and urgent medical care without requiring insurance, Medicaid enrollment, or upfront payment verification, while maintaining responsible patient flow and service prioritization for managed care participants.

Why This Needs to Be Done

• Over 1.1 million New Yorkers are uninsured, often avoiding critical care due to cost fears.
• Medical debt remains the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States.
• Emergency rooms are mandated to treat critical patients but often overbill or deny non-critical uninsured cases.
• Countries with universal healthcare access have longer life expectancies and lower healthcare costs than the U.S.

New York must lead by ensuring care is available without financial fear, while maintaining quality service for responsible participants.

Key Provisions

• Universal Access: Emergency and urgent care available to all individuals in New York without upfront costs.
• Direct State Billing: Facilities bill the State of New York for uninsured patient services.
• Priority Scheduling: Managed plan enrollees receive service priority for non-life-threatening conditions.
• No Penalization: Life-threatening emergencies prioritized equally for all patients.
• Fraud Oversight: Verification measures to ensure only genuine urgent cases are billed.

Expected Opposition

• Private Insurers: Concerns over losing control of emergency care markets.
• Fiscal Conservatives: Budgetary fears regarding state expenditure.
• Hospital Networks: Worries about delayed payments and reimbursement rates.

How We Overcome It

• Smart Funding: Redirect Medicaid administrative savings and adjust luxury excise taxes to fund healthcare security.
• Cost Reduction Models: Preventive urgent care cuts emergency room costs by 18–25% over five years.
• Public Messaging: “No one should die or suffer because they feared asking for help.”
• Hospital Incentives: Bonuses for facilities meeting care quality and timeliness benchmarks.

Leading the Nation

New York can become the first state to offer universal emergency and urgent care access while maintaining incentives for managed healthcare. This model can inspire a future national system — starting with our leadership.

Conclusion

Healthcare should not be a luxury. It should be a fundamental right. Under Jason S. Arnold’s leadership, New York will ensure no resident fears the ER or faces financial ruin seeking urgent care.

🗽 “If you’re hurt, you get help. Period.”