Fighting for #Coverage4All: Health Insurance for Essential Workers
As members of the New York Immigration Coalition, we are proud to be leaders in the fight to pass #Coverage4All, legislation that would create a state-funded health coverage option for all New Yorkers with income up to 200% of the federal poverty line regardless of immigration status. There are 154,000 uninsured immigrant New Yorkers who are ineligible for coverage due to their immigration status. According to a recent report done by the Community Service Society and the Citizens Budget Commission, the #Coverage4All proposal would cover 46,000 people and cost $345 million. These individuals would gain access to a state-funded essential plan, which would allow them to enroll into comprehensive health insurance. On Wednesday, February 9th we participated in a Statewide Lobby Day, where we met with State Senators and Assemblymembers throughout New York City where our members live. Read on below to learn more about the campaign and why passing Coverage4All is so critical!
Kicking off the Coverage4All Lobby day with Assembly Member Gonzalez-Rojas and Council Member Shahana Hanif
“In my last job as a nanny in 2018, I had an accidental fall. And was only given pain medication by my employer and told to go lie down and rest awhile. Since then, I have been experiencing endless complications, some including walking, sitting, and standing for long periods and feeling enormous pains. Sometimes I use a walking cane, which was not given to me by medical professionals, but I use it anyway because it is useful at times. If I had access to health care, without hesitation I would have gotten the help I needed. Domestic workers are essential workers and we should be able to gain access to quality health care for all; especially when accidents happen in the workplace. Passing Coverage for All will transform the lives of the hundreds of thousands of my domestic worker sisters across New York, where we will no longer have to decide between taking care of ourselves or taking care of others,” said Sandra, Domestic Worker and CGNA member, Bronx.
CGA Member and Domestic Worker Floreth Chambers sharing her story during a meeting with Assembly Member Amanda Septimo, District 84 in the Bronx.
CGA Member and Domestic Worker Lourdes Tapia shares during a meeting with Assemblymember Maritza Davila District 53 of Queens
CGA Member and Domestic Worker Sandra Farrell sharing her story during a meeitng with Assembly Member Michael Benedetto, District 82 in the Bronx.
CGA Member and Domestic Worker Meches Rosales-Maupin meeting with Assembly Member Steven Cymbrowitz, District 45 of Brooklyn. In addition to these meetings we also met with State Senator Simcha Felder District 17 of Brooklyn, Speaker Carl Heastie of the Bronx, and State Senator Roxanne Persaud District 19 of Brooklyn.
