What Does the Health Care Reform Bill Mean for New York?

Rep. Anthony Weiner

With the Democrats' 10-year, $938 billion health care bill poised to become law, there are differing opinions in New York about how it will impact the Empire State. Rep. Anthony Weiner, an impassioned advocate for reform, says, "Thousands and thousands of New Yorkers are going to have health insurance who didn't have it before, small businesses are going to get a tax incentive to provide insurance and simply put, the economy is going to have a chance to start getting jump-started." But gazillionaire Mayor Bloomberg predicts Weiner's jumper cables will short out New York's battery.

Bloomberg's worried about people, as he decorously puts it, "who have certain kinds of income." (Psst, we think he's talking about the affluent!) Individuals earning more than $200,000 a year and couples who make more than $250,000 are going to be subject to a Medicare payroll tax. Bloomberg also believes the bill doesn't do enough to stop runaway medical costs, and told reporters yesterday, "It does not address the total cost of health care in our country, it does not address the fact that we spend double what they do in Western Europe and have a lower life expectancy, but it does address coverage. It's a system we can't afford in total in this country, and a system that's not delivering the kind of health care that we want."

At an appearance at City Hall yesterday, Governor Paterson expressed enthusiasm for the bill, calling it "historic." And Wall Street's bullish, too, so you know it must be good for America! There were more winners than losers on the first trading day after the House vote, and many investors seem to think the bill "will result in greater demand for prescription drug purchases and medical care at doctors' offices from a new customer base with the ability to pay for their care," USA Today reports.

Health-care facilities in NYC spent $3.5 billion providing uncompensated care in 2008 to the uninsured, and according to Weiner that will end once an estimated 625,000 of the city's 1.1 million uninsured get coverage. He asserts that 142,922 city residents who currently suffer from pre-existing conditions will now be able to get "affordable" insurance, and 204,000 businesses with 25 or fewer employees and average wages of $50,000 or less will qualify for tax credits to buy health insurance. The bill will also do something about the thousands of health care-related bankruptcies in NYC. (The Times has a helpful "interactive" breakdown of how the bill could affect you.)

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on March 23, 2010 9:14 AM

Comments [rss]

Thinky Think

When there was the option for all americans to have basic insurance was proposed the public kept quiete and let the ignorant asshole preside.

Taxes are supposed to work to improve the society in which one lives therefore if they were to raise taxes by a couple of dollars so that when you when you go to ER you would not be responsible for paying thousands for one visit,what's the problem?

Everyone is going by what a bunch of greed rich assholes are saying forgetting about their well being. Rousseau was very right that everyone should be adequately educated so that they can make educated choices because the american people failed when they let their supposed elected officials destroy their intrests for big business.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Bloomberg is disappointed the bill passed because this egomaniac wants to run for mayor. I hope this passage of the HC bill doesn't mean Weinet will run for mayor. He is such a weiner.

verbal

and another thing, when did my 200K/year make me rich? I'm still waiting for the memo, cause seriously it just doesn't cut it here in the big apple - so go ahead tax me some more and I'll just give up and take the entitlement too, and I'll show these deadbeats how to really game the system.

Boogie Down

$200,000 doesn't cut it in NYC? Really?

LaliP

really! amen verbal! you may not have to worry about groceries, but it's def not living large. one could live better in texas on 60k.

i think ALL taxes should be flat. i may make a decent paycheck but i work my butt off for it.

Boogie Down

Living large =/= "cutting it". My husband and I both work in scientific research and therefore earn very modest salaries. However, somehow we manage to own a co-op, travel regularly, own a car, eat gourmet food, and see the opera. The sense of entitlement around here astounds me.

cea303cea

I think the argument here is that to call a household making 200K year is hardly rich. Why should i be taxed more because my parnter and i have worked our butts off to get where we are? There is not a day that goes by that i am not thankful for how blessed I am.

Boogie Down

I'm not disagreeing with you entirely, but people who think they can't cut it in this city on $200,000 a year are seriously deluded. By the way, I worked my butt off too (B.Sc., M.Sc., years of experience), but am just not in a big money making industry. I'm sure you don't mean it that way, but don't assume that those who make less than you do not work as hard or harder.

Anyway, I spent most of my life in a country with higher taxes and far greater levels of government services. I can tell you that my quality of life was far superior in the other country, and none of that (i.e. my experience) has to do with money.

Also, please don't tell me to "go back there". Thanks.

LaliP

just to clarify: i meant $200,000 does not go nearly as far here as elsewhere. i myself would not consider someone making $200,000 "rich." let's end the semantic discussion already! :)

2nd, I never meant for it to sound like I work hard and others do not. 40% percent of my earnings go to taxes. I don't appreciate that is all.

Boogie Down

Of course it doesn't go as far, but I think that anyone with two brain cells to rub together knows what they're getting into when they move here, as you and I have.

You are entitled to your opinion, and I totally respect that. However, if I was fortunate enough to make anything even near $200K, I would have no problem throwing a little more into the public coffers. That being said, I have a serious distrust of the government's ability to properly allocate public funding where it is needed in this country, so I'm not so sure this approach will work here. It is a complex issue, to say the least.

LaliP

i think individual's have a moral responsibility to provide for those less fortunate, not to be mandated by govt, with all their beauricratic (sp?) ineffeciency.

and i'd love to be married, with someone to split rent and vacations bills.

Boogie Down

Not a good reason to get married ;)

thefacts

Do you not think the poor also "work their butt off" as you brag you do?

Are you so self-entitled that you really believe you and your ilk are the only ones who work hard?

Would you shovel snow for $12 an hour?

Change seniors' shitty diapers for $9 an hour?

Check out your gourmet food items at the store for $8 an hour?

Teach at $30 an hour?

What makes you think you deserve so much more than these hard-workers whose services are indispensable for society?

Greed is not good. Despite what your guru Ayn Rand says, it is a vice not a virtue.

LaliP

i've never read ayn rand, and i'm not greedy. i support the bill. we got off subject here. i'm paying for my own health insurance out of pocket and it ain't cheap.

i think we should gothamist should set up an old-fashioned debate! i'm envisioning a set up like in "old school"... i missed out on that in school :(

LaliP

and yes, i would do all those things. whatever it takes to pay rent and buy food. i am not above that, and have had some pretty stinky jobs in the past just to do that.

LaliP

so basically the people who earn less deserve more?

2 people work equally hard: #1 makes more than #2, so #1 hands over their earned $ to #2 in the name of fairness?

like i said, i'm all for flat tax. set everyone's income tax at 10%, let everyone pay an additional 1% for health care, etc. sales tax is a flat rate.

thefacts

I never said that. I questioned why some people are overpaid, yet still are greedy enough to want yet more. Who would see people without any med care, while they eat their fois gras. Sorry, my parents didn't raise me that way. Did yours?

If you want a flat tax, good luck, my friend. It ain't happening. Pick another battle.

The people win. The rich lose. Long live the dictatorship of the proletariat.

LaliP

i don't feel i'm entitled to anything except more of my paycheck.

verbal

The myriad ways this is bad for NY State and the City are enormous. Stop the fraud in medicare and medicaid and we'll have enough to pay for all those poor uninsured folks that are over-burdening our system. Oh, but wait, by turning a blind eye to the fraud we appease that type of behavior, oops my bad I must be a racist.