Photos and video of the event available here. 

Garrison, NY – In response to devastating federal healthcare cuts driving up premiums and reducing coverage for millions of Americans, State Assemblymember Dana Levenberg held a healthcare town hall at the Desmond-Fish Public Library in Garrison on Tuesday. The event brought together healthcare experts to discuss the New York Health Act, a state-level bill that, if enacted, would guarantee comprehensive, universal healthcare for every New Yorker while lowering costs. The event also featured former Assembly Health Chair Richard Gottfried, who authored the original New York Health Act legislation. The event was hybrid, free and open to the public, with approximately 80 people in attendance. 

“It is appalling that the Trump administration and the Majority in Congress have chosen to make it significantly harder for people to obtain and afford the healthcare they need to survive and thrive. However, we should not pretend that the American healthcare system was perfect before this summer,” said Levenberg. “The real problem is a system that puts profits over people, and allows insurance companies and all kinds of other middlemen to drive up healthcare costs without improving our health.”

 "We waste tens of billions of dollars a year in New York on insurance company bureaucracy, marketing and profit; health care provider administrative time and money spent fighting with insurance companies; and overpaying for drugs because no one has the bargaining clout to bring down prices. New Yorkers spend tens of billions a year on deductibles, copays, out-of-network charges, and no coverage for long-term home care and nursing home care. Doctors and hospitals are underpaid by Medicare and Medicaid. The New York Health Act will fix all of this for all of us," said Gottfried.

Carrie Tracy, Senior Director of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society of New York, educated attendees about how federal healthcare cuts are affecting New York and will affect the state in the future if bold action is not taken. “The sad fact is that new federal legislation, called H.R.1, will leave up to 1.7 million New Yorkers uninsured,” said Tracy. “We look forward to working with the Legislature and Governor to find actionable, State-based solutions that will fill the gaps left by H.R.1 so that all New Yorkers will have quality, affordable health coverage.”

Other panelists included primary care physician Reena Agarwal, psychologist Sinam Ward and pediatrician David Watson. Dr. Agarwal spoke about the ways in which insurance companies interfere with her ability to provide care to patients. Dr. Ward discussed the challenges people face when seeking mental health care in our current system, and how the New York Health Act would eliminate those barriers. Dr. Watson, a retired pediatrician with experience as a practitioner and a patient in the United States as well as countries with single-payer systems, provided comparative context and dispelled myths about healthcare access in countries with universal coverage. 

Jeff Mikkelson, co-founder of Hudson Valley Demands New York Health, closed the event by encouraging community members to get involved in their efforts to lobby state and local lawmakers on both sides of the aisle regarding the issue, noting that this need not be a partisan issue. He cited benefits such as lower property taxes – a result of municipalities and school districts no longer needing to cover the inflated cost of private health insurance – as reasons why some might find New York Health attractive. He also encouraged attendees to lobby next year’s state and local candidates to support the legislation and make the New York Health Act an issue in the upcoming elections. 

"Federal healthcare cuts are already driving up costs and threatening access to care for families across New York – but we are not powerless,” said Mikkelson. “Tonight showed that our community is ready to fight for a better system, one that guarantees healthcare to every New Yorker and ensures no one ever loses coverage because they changed a job, lost income, or got sick.”

Melanie D’Arrigo, Executive Director for the Campaign for New York Health, said: “The federal healthcare cuts will worsen an already deeply broken system. Premiums will skyrocket, hospitals will close, and the number of uninsured New Yorkers will double. But New York State doesn’t have to take this attack lying down – lawmakers can step up, protect our care, and safeguard our future by passing the New York Health Act.”

Assemblymember Dana Levenberg has represented the 95th District in the New York State Assembly since 2023. The district includes the town of Philipstown and the villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville in Putnam County, as well as several Westchester communities: the city of Peekskill, the towns of Ossining and Cortlandt and their villages, and a portion of Yorktown. 

Former Assemblymember Richard Gottfried served in the State Assembly for 52 years, the longest tenure of any New York State legislator, representing communities in midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side. As chair of the Assembly Health committee, he sponsored and oversaw the passage of many key pieces of legislation promoting health and equality for New Yorkers, in addition to authoring the New York Health Act. 

Hudson Valley Demands New York Health is a coalition of grassroots groups and individuals working across the Hudson Valley to guarantee comprehensive healthcare to all New Yorkers by passing the New York Health Act.

The Campaign for New York Health is a statewide coalition of organizations, unions, businesses and individuals committed to guaranteeing healthcare for every New Yorker by passing and implementing the New York Health Act (S3425/A1466). Read more about the campaign and the New York Health Act on their Web site.