As we close out 2014, we look back with pride to all of work of this past year and the role we played in fostering community-labor collaboration in the struggle for health care justice in New York, and comprehensive, quality, affordable health care for all New Yorkers.

First, we want to thank all those who supported us financially in 2014 – your donations made it ALL possible!

The following groups and individuals joined our “2014 Health Care for All Team” as part of our Annual Dues Campaign in the spring:

Alliance for a Greater New York
Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802, AFM
Children’s Defense Fund of New York
Citizen Action of New York
Committee of Interns and Residents, SEIU Healthcare
Communications Workers of America, Local 1180
Commission on the Public’s Health System in New York City
Community Health Care Association of New York State
Community Service Society of New York
DC 37 Retirees Association
District Council 37, AFSCME
Doctors’ Council, SEIU
Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies
Gay Men’s Health Crisis
Goddard-Riverside Community Center
Greater NYC for Change
Healthcare Education Project (1199SEIU-GNYHA)
International Association of Stage and Theatrical Employees, Local 1
International Association of Stage and Theatrical Employees, Local 600
Long Island Coalition for a National Health Program
Make the Road New York
Medicare Rights Center
Municipal Hospital Employees, Local 420, DC 37 AFSCME
National Association of Social Workers, NYC Chapter
New York Immigration Coalition
New York State AFL-CIO
New York State Nurses Association
New York Statewide Senior Action Council
Open Door Family Medical Centers
Organization of Staff Analysts
Physicians for a National Health Program, New York Metro Chapter
Planned Parenthood of New York City
Professional Staff Congress, CUNY
Public Health Solutions
1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
United Auto Workers, Region 9A
United Federation of Teachers

Robert Ambaras
Harold Allen
Ellis Arnstein, MD
Richard Bergman
Carmelita Blake, PhD
Francine Brewer
Anne and Sid Emerman
Shaurain Farber
Pat Fry
Nadia Jakoubek
Robert Lerner, MD
Jose Matta
Cheryl Merzel, MD
Terry Mizrahi
Ethel Paley
Ralph Palladino
Martin Petroff, JD
Alex Pruchnicki, MD
Adele Rogers
Clara Reiss
Mark Scherzer
Robert Spencer
Lois Steinberg
Myron and Janet Sussin
Marc Tallent, MD

We also want to thank all those groups and individuals who supported our 2014 Annual Gala Benefit on November 17:

AARP
ACS Cancer Action Network
Alliance for a Greater NY
Assemblymember Richard Gottfried
Berlin Rosen
Business and Labor Coalition of New York
Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York
Children’s Defense Fund
Citizen Action of New York
Commission on the Public’s Health System
Committee of Interns and Residents, SEIU Healthcare
Communications Workers of America, Local 1180
Community Health Care Association of New York
Community Healthcare Network
Community Service Society
District Council 37 Retirees Association
Doctors’ Council, SEIU Healthcare
Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies
Gay Men’s Health Crisis
Greater NY Hospital Association
Greater NY Laborer-Employers Cooperative & Education Trust
GuildNet/Lighthouse Guild
Healthcare Education Project (GNYHA-1199SEIU)
Hudson Health Plan, Hudson Center for Health Equity
Institute for Puerto Rican and Hispanic Elderly
Left Labor Project
Local 802, American Federation of Musicians
Make the Road New York
Municipal Hospital Workers, Local 420, DC 37
National Association of Social Workers, NYC Chapter
New York City Americans for Democratic Action
New York City Central Labor Council
New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health
New York Immigration Coalition
New York Professional Nurses Union
New York State AFL-CIO
New York State Nurses Association
New York Therapeutic Riding Center
New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness
Open Door Family Medical Center
Organization of Staff Analysts
Physicians for a National Health Program, NY Metro Chapter
Planned Parenthood of New York City
Primary Care Development Corporation
Professional Staff Congress, CUNY
Raising Women’s Voices – New York
Sarah Lawrence College, Health Advocacy Program
SEIU Healthcare
Senator Liz Krueger
Systonic Systems
TWU Local 100
United Auto Workers, Region 9A
United Federation of Teachers
1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
United University Professionals

Robert Ambaras
Carmelita Blake
Anne Bove
Rachel Burd
Jim Collins
Moira Dolan
Barbara Edmonds
Alice and Jon Fisher
Shiela Geist
Marcia Hunte
Feygele Jacobs
William Jordan, MD
Pauline Kuyler, MD
Stanley Lave
Lou Levitt
Robert Lichterman
Jose Matta
Merle McEldowney
Terry Mizrahi
Susan Moscou and Dan O’Connell, MD
Steve Oliver
Ralph Palladino
Kate Pfordresher
Marcia Poston
Alec Pruchnicki, MD
Heather Roberson
Constancia Romilly
Margery Schab
Mark Scherzer
Margaret Segall
Sarah Sheffield
Jerry Shroder
Joel Shufro
Sid and Sandy Socolar
Diane Stein
Peter Steinglass, MD
Merry Tucker

We also want to thank the following funders for supporting our work in 2014:

• ACA Implementation Fund (received via the Community Service Society)
• New York State Health Foundation (received via the American Cancer Society)
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (received via the Community Service Society)

Here’s just a sampling of how we put everyone’s financial support to work this past year:

January:  Metro joins with Health Care for All New York leaders to visit the Capitol Hill offices of New York Congressmembers to inform them about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for New Yorkers, and the need for continued funding for the state’s ACA-authorized consumer assistance program which helps people solve their health insurance problems.

February:  Metro speaks at Labor Press’ “Union Health Care Summit” which assesses the impacts of the Affordable Care Act on trade unions and needed improvements.

March:  Metro and our allies in Health Care for All New York partner with the Dept. of Financial Services to successfully urge the Legislature to enact a landmark law to expand consumer rights and protections when they incur “surprise medical bills”.

April:  Metro and our partners in the Get Covered New York project wind up a 6-month effort that located and referred approximately 4,000 uninsured New York City residents to enrollers for the new Affordable Care Act plans.

May:  Metro and our partners in the People’s Budget Coalition for Public Health launch the “Access Health NYC” campaign to urge city officials to fund grassroots community outreach and education about how the uninsured can enroll in coverage, use that coverage, and access needed services.

June:  Metro and our partners in New Yorkers for Accessible Health Coverage undertake a legislative advocacy campaign to take on insurers and restore consumer choice in pharmacy access.

Aug.:  Metro and our partners in No Bad Grand Bargain and the New York State Alliance for Retired Americans hold a Social Security birthday party outside the New York City Regional Office of the Social Security Administration (SSA), in conjunction with Local 3369 of the American Federation of Government Employees, calling attention to harmful cutbacks in staff and in-person services, and closures of 7 local SSA offices across NYC since 2011.

Sept.:  Metro and Health Care for All New York partner with the Healthcare Education Project to convene seven well-attended Regional Outreach and Enrollment Summits across the state, including in Queens, Manhattan, the Hudson Valley, and on Long Island.

Oct.:  Metro facilitates planning session on “Community Benefits” at the annual meeting of the National Physicians Alliance, held in Yonkers.

Nov.:  Metro producing radio and cable TV programming on Medicare Open Enrollment for 2015 featuring experts from the Medicare Rights Center, to help people understand their options and choices, including a lively listener call-in on WBAI-FM.

Dec.:  Metro and our allies launch the Campaign for New York Health, to promote state legislation for a truly universal health care program in our state, and turn out hundreds at five public hearings across the state, including New York City.

Whew!

…and we look forward to continuing our work with everyone in 2015.  Thanks again!

On Tuesday December 16, the New York State Assembly Health Committee is holding a hearing in New York on the “New York Health Act” (A.5389-A/S.2078-A) to create a fully-public, truly-universal health care program in New York.  The Act is sponsored in the Assembly by Health Committee chair Richard Gottfried, who represents the west side of Manhattan, and in the State Senate by Sen. Bill Perkins, who represents Harlem.  The hearing will start at 10 a.m. and be held at New York University’s Global Center for Spiritual and Academic Life, 238 Thompson St., 5^th fl. Grand Hall, in Greenwich Village.  People can sign-up to testify at this hearing or submit written testimony here.  Oral testimony will be limited to 5 minutes, and people with longer statements are urged to summarize their main points.

                   

The NYC hearing is part of a series of hearings being held by the Assembly Health Committee across the state.  Hearings have already been held in Syracuse on Dec. 4, in Rochester on Dec. 8, and in Buffalo on Dec. 10.  Future hearings after the one in New York City will be held on Long Island (Mineola) on Dec. 17, and in Albany on Jan. 13.

The Campaign for New York Health (CNYH), a multi-constituency coalition promoting the legislation, is advancing participation in these hearings, and holds press conferences in each city prior to the start of the hearing that feature the bill sponsors and other supportive public officials, doctors and nurses, labor leaders, patients with personal stories, health care activists, and local faith and community leaders, among others.  These press events have been garnering much local coverage in local and statewide media.  The press conference prior to the New York City hearing will take place at 9:30 a.m. at the hearing location.

CNYH is also holding “meet-and-greet” events in each community so that local activists and interested citizens can hear directly from the bill sponsors and CNYH representatives, engage in discussion, and have their questions about the bill answered.  The New York City meet-and-greet event will be held on the evening prior to the hearing, Mon. Dec. 15, from 6-8 p.m. at 220 Fifth Avenue, 5^th fl., in Manhattan.  The public is welcome to attend.  RSVPs are requested in order to make adequate preparations for space and light refreshments, and can be made here.

CNYH’s website is where interested groups and individuals can sign up to get involved.