KINGSTON – Candidates
and incumbents from the 39th, 42nd, 46th and 51st State Senate Districts
shared their positions on the New York Health Act during a panel for the
Ulster County Chamber of Commerce and Women’s League of Voters on
Wednesday.
Among issues were economic development, workforce development, tax reform
and addressing the mass exodus from New York. Candidates on both sides
were most torn over the controversial healthcare bill that has passed
the assembly a number of times, but has never gone further.
The bill would act as a universal healthcare for New York residents, also
referred to as single payer. It is the state’s creation to adhere
to the presidential mandate of having states decide healthcare legislation
for themselves following the prior paradigm of “Obama Care”
that was repealed.
With the potential for a party majority flip in the State Senate, candidates
and incumbents focused on their policies regarding this issue.
Annie Rabbitt, Orange County clerk and Republican candidate for the 42nd
Senate District, said she would never support the legislation because
she feels it is fiscally irresponsible. Rabbitt feels the more prudent
approach is to address the population of uninsured New Yorkers, rather
than issue a blanket approach to the issue.
“In the State of New York we have five percent that are uninsured
right now,” said Rabbitt. “Why are we not addressing the five
percent, the age group for that percentage, instead of saying universal
for everyone and having everybody pay into this, so, there can be creative
ways to pay this five percent insurance,” she said.
Senate Republican James Steward, of the 51st District, said although he
agrees with Rabbitt on addressing uninsured and under-insured residents,
he does agree with universal healthcare for state residents and in the
same vein as Medicaid expansion and the essential healthcare plan, already
in place, another trajectory is necessary, contrary to complete state-run
healthcare.
“I believe in universal health insurance and universal healthcare,
but I think we need to do it properly without just creating some massive
state-run healthcare system because that’s just not sustainable
here at the state level,” said Steward.
