Various proposals to cover New York’s 2.8 million uninsured people are detailed in a new report by the United Hospital Fund and the Commonwealth Fund. The net cost of each of the three scenarios is roughly $4 billion, but the distribution of that spending by individuals, state, and federal government varies greatly depending on the role employers will play. The report models two options for employers with 10 or more workers that don’t currently offer health insurance: pay a small fine of $400 per worker, or contribute 8% of payroll to offset the state’s cost of expanding public programs. Reforms limited to simplifying and expanding public health programs to increase participation by all eligible people, along with a program to subsidize health insurance for moderate-income New Yorkers, would only reduce the number of uninsured people by one-third. New York will achieve universal coverage only if all individuals are mandated to have health insurance, according to the report.
