Organizations focused on health are already attempting to take a pulse of Governor Cuomo’s Budget proposal as they prepare to give him some of their own suggestions. The New York State Conference of Blue Cross-Blue Shield is taking issue with a health care fee that everyone in the state would be required to pay. Spokesperson Deborah Fasser explains the Governor wants those fees to cover operational expenses for the State’s Healthcare Exchange.
"This new fee is in addition to more than $4.8 billion in hidden health insurance, taxes, and fees New York consumers are already forced to pay. Adding this to the state tax burden are a number of other federal insurance taxes, bringing the total health insurance tax bill to more than $6.5 billion annually."
Fasser believes the cost to run the exchange is around $69 million. That would be around $25 per person, annually and would likely be passed on by insurance companies. The Governor mentioned an anti-poverty agenda; However, State Chapter of The American Heart Association wants more grocery stores built in poverty stricken areas. Advocacy Committee Chair Bob Elling says often people don’t have access to good food.
"When they don't have fresh fruits and vegetables and appropriate foods, so what happens? It has an impact on their health, they get obese. Here we are, we live in a state where there's 8.5 billion New Yorkers either overweight or obese. Certainly that has immediate ramifications as well as long term effects on their increasing the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and stroke."
Elling adds that good nutrition is also important for kids to get to school healthy and ready to learn. The Heart Association and the State Conference of BC-BS plan to get the Governor’s attention.