The New York Health Act is a universal healthcare bill in New York State that would guarantee high quality, comprehensive healthcare for all New Yorkers. The 2026 bill was Assembly Bill A1466 / Senate Bill S3425, and it died before receiving a hearing. Fact sheet here and bill language here.

Why do we need it?

The United States is the only industrialized country without a universal healthcare system.

Americans pay the highest costs for healthcare in the world and have the worst health outcomes. New Yorkers pay the 2nd highest premiums in the United States.

New Yorkers deserve high-quality healthcare, without being driven into debt to access it.

73%

of New Yorkers believe that high healthcare costs are a major issue.

$10,191

What the average New Yorker spends on healthcare per year.

740,000

New Yorkers are in collections with medical debt.

Over 1 million New Yorkers

lack coverage citing cost as the primary reason and many more are underinsured, meaning they have some form of health insurance, but still cannot afford to get the care they need. 

Our current healthcare system is unsustainable, and it’s failing New Yorkers. New Yorkers pay the second highest cost for premiums in the country and rank in the bottom half of states for health access and outcomes.

What would the New York Health Act do?

The New York Health Act would guarantee healthcare for every New Yorker — everybody in, nobody out. It would also remove the financial barriers to care by eliminating:

• Monthly premiums

• Deductibles

• Co-pays

• Prescription drug costs

• Supplemental insurance plans

• Coinsurance

The New York Health Act would also expand coverage to include:

• Dental

• Vision

• Hearing

• Mental health

• Maternal care

• Reproductive care

• Long-term care

• Substance abuse treatment
  

No More Networks

Current health plans negotiate with certain doctors and hospitals to create a tiered healthcare system or as we know them “networks.” These plans then force you to seek care only in the networks your health plan has chosen for you. Under the New York Health Act, networks would be a thing of the past. The New York Health Act would eliminate networks and allow you to seek care from the doctors and hospitals you choose.

How is the New York Health Act different from our current healthcare system?

Our current healthcare system is a for-profit, insurance-based system. Insurance companies act as middlemen between you and healthcare providers by granting you access to their network once you pay their fees. Their operating expenses and profits come out of the monthly premiums you pay for their service and the taxes you pay for government subsidies. In short, the less you use your insurance the more profit for your insurance company.

The New York Health Act is a single-payer, universal healthcare system that eliminates the unnecessary bureaucracy of insurance companies and lets you interact directly with doctors and hospitals. By eliminating the middle men, doctors and health practitioners will have more time to do what they do best—treat patients.

So, when you’re sick, you see a doctor. There’s no more searching for a doctor who’s “in-network,” worrying if additional treatment will be covered by your insurance company, or how much medication will cost. It’s all covered so you can worry less and focus more on your health.