WCDO Radio News

A proposal to create a single-payer, government-financed health care system for all New Yorkers was the subject of a public hearing at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Richard Gottfried, chair of the Assembly Health Committee, has been pushing the proposal for more than 20 years. Under his "New York Health Act" bill, the state would get rid of private health insurance and replace it with a publicly funded system. The proposal is opposed by the insurance industry and business groups. Proponents of the single-payer approach said it would lower cost and improve access to care.