The President's Corner
Fiscal Crisis Presents Opportunities for Reform
States from Maine to California are struggling to make sense of the nation’s economic downturn, and New York is no exception. But every crisis presents opportunities, and our great State can rise to a new level during this time of fiscal uncertainty.
New York State recently set into motion options for positive health care reform that went beyond the immediate crisis and sought to address a longer-term problem: a costly, inefficient health care system. We still have an opportunity to move forward with these reforms by shifting dollars into primary and preventive care, and implementing strategies to decrease the number of uninsured New Yorkers.
Through innovative programs, states and cities are making great strides in tackling the serious and long-term problems that ail their systems:
- In North Carolina, a program called Community Care of North Carolina builds community health networks organized and operated by community physicians, hospitals, health departments, and departments of social services, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars while dramatically improving patient programs.
- In Massachusetts, 350,000 new residents have enrolled in health insurance programs just more than a year after a law requiring coverage for all individuals passed the state legislature.
- In California, nearly 27,000 uninsured residents have signed up for “Healthy San Francisco,” a program that aims to provide cost-effective health care services to the uninsured.
These forward-looking initiatives promise health care improvements for years to come and amplify a long-term health care reform movement taking hold across the country. New York State is developing and implementing similar programs, and we must continue to move forward in this direction.
With challenges come opportunities. Surely this time of re-thinking our State’s budget comes with opportunities to plan wisely for the future, with a focus on reforms that will benefit the lives and health of all New Yorkers.
James R. Knickman, President and CEO
