1 of 71

MASS ORGANIZING CALL to #PassNYHealth

THE PROBLEM: growing wealth in the hands of the few, while majority of us are without. And we know it is not JUST healthcare. And we know healthcare is intertwining with housing, immigrant justice, food security, and more.

WE CAN BE THE CHANGE. Coordinated. With infrastructure (we need your help). Values at the helm.

EVERYONE IS A LEADER as a core value. We are always organizing. Not one off. Not only moblizing.

The NY Health Act is not meant to solve everything. No one should demand that of any one bill.

“Our most powerful nonviolent weapon is, as would be expected, also our most demanding, that is organization. To produce change people must be organized to work together in units of power”

Some years legislators are hopeful, even optimistic that we will pass the NY Health Act. Others years are really bad or full of skepticism. Others say wait for next year, wait for this or that, let’s just focus on XYZ incremental thing first. What we know is that no matter how the ground shifts - and it shift constantly - we know that the foundation of any event or action or education that we take on is rooted in our stories and rooted in growing a mass movement.

Basebuilding & growing the movement is what leads to legislative support and being able to pressure our legislators and win all the things we need. There is much simultaneous work to do. And it relies on consciousness building, political education, building a leaderful movement that does not rely on any political party or particular organization or particular personality.

2 of 71

ACCESS IS MAGIC

GREETINGS

RECORDING

CLOSED CAPTIONS

MUTED

CHAT FUNCTION�

Follow & Amplify on social media - tag us!

Bluesky: @pnhpnymetro.bsky.social
TikTok | Twitter | Facebook: @PNHPNYMetro
Instagram | YouTube: @pnhp_nymetro

3 of 71

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

While we recognize that people are perhaps joining this forum from all over, we think it is important to acknowledge the land on which PNHP-NY Metro is based: �the land of the Wappinger, Munsee Lenape, Canarsie, and Rockaway peoples.

With that recognition must come an unwavering commitment to decolonize and unsettle not only the physical spaces we create and share, but our hearts, minds, and politics.

We are committed to critically challenging the conditions we have been socialized to accept and to the pursuit of collective liberation.

https://native-land.ca

4 of 71

PNHP-NY Metro Community Agreements. Full details here.

MOVE UP/MOVE UP

No one knows everything, �together we know a lot

The Platinum Rule

5 of 71

AGENDA

NY Health Act Snapshot
Current Landscape
NYS Legislature: Structure & Power Dynamics
NYHA Movement Values, Strategy & History
Discussion
Lobby Day 2026 Recap
Mariana Piñeda ¡Presente! 1979-2026
Actions before June 4th
How to prepare for November 2026
Discussion

6 of 71

NYHA Snapshot

7 of 71

Credit: Daniel Neghassi, MD. dneghassi.com

8 of 71

What is the New York Health Act? (A1466/S3425)

A bill in the NY State legislature that provides comprehensive health coverage for all New Yorkers – more comprehensive than any health plan today.

No premium, deductible, co-pays, restricted provider network, restricted drug list, or other out-of-pocket costs.
Almost every New Yorker will spend less on health coverage and care than they do today.”

9 of 71

JAMA. 2018;319(7):691-697. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.19148

Duke Medical Center

Toronto University Health Network

957 beds (3 hospitals)

1,600 billing clerks

1,272 beds (5 Hospitals)

7 billing clerks

Jan 17 2019 email from Alex Radkewycz, Senior Public Affairs Advisor, UHN

10 of 71

COVER EVERYONE & SAVE MONEY

Sources: Liu, et al., An Assessment of the NY Health Act, RAND Corporation, August 2018; Rodberg, Updated Summary and Evaluation of the RAND Corporation’s Assessment of the NY Health Act, November 2021. https://www.pnhpnymetro.org/economic_analysis_nyhealthact

Reduced Prices of Drugs & Devices

Covering Everyone & Eliminating Cost Sharing

Net Savings:�$16.8B (4.8%)

Net:

–$16.8B

$11.7B

$9.6 B

Total:

+$41.4 B

Total

–$58.2B

-$26.5B

-$13.4B

Reduced Insurance Admin Costs

Improved Provider Fees

Total projected status quo spending in 2025: $351.7B

-$18.3B

Reduced MD & Hospital Admin Costs

$20.1 B

Long-term Care

Slide updated 2025

Can we afford it? We can’t afford the current situation. And yes, we can afford the NY Health Act. We can do more than afford the NY Health Act - it helps save money that could be used for our schools, social service programs…

The NYHA funds through two main mechanisms:

A new progressive tax that’s built into the law
Moving money around that we already spend on healthcare.

These are combined into a single, gigantic pool of money that the state will spend on NYer’s healthcare needs.

We save more than $40 billion dollars streamlining administration because the NY Health Act removes health insurance from the equation, which reduces physician and hospital administrative costs as well.

The power to negotiate lower drug prices and costs of medical devices saves billions of dollars as well.

Yes, covering everyone, improving provider compensation and including long-term care costs money. But economic studies both right and left show that New York State still saves money by covering everyone and including comprehensive care. Further, at least 90% of New Yorkers will pay less than they do now for health insurance and medical expenses.

11 of 71

Progressive Graduated Tax: A Model

Sources: Liu, et al., An Assessment of the NY Health Act, RAND Corporation, August 2018; Rodberg, Updated Summary and Evaluation of the RAND Corporation’s Assessment of the NY Health Act, November 2021. https://www.pnhpnymetro.org/economic_analysis_nyhealthact

PAYROLL BRACKETS: The bill text intentionally does not specify what the tax brackets or rates will be. That will be set by the Legislature during implementation so that it can take into account current income and inflation levels. The bill DOES mandate that a progressive graduated tax model must be used.

Various economic studies share models of what the NY Health tax structure could be. All analyses to date have identified billions in annual savings beyond the amount needed to carry out the provisions of the Act, including long-term care. We can’t afford NOT to pass the NY Health Act.

EXTRA INFO:

Progressively-graduated tax on income, dividends, capital gains, based on ability to pay–~95% pay less

First $25K of income is exempt (first $50K for people on Medicare!)

For payroll income, employer pays ≥80% of the tax

12 of 71

Local Government Saves Money = Tax Cuts and Balanced Budgets

95%

83%

84%

Example of saving for the local governments of Albany area, prepared by Albany’s own Treasurer

13 of 71

Questions about the NY Health Act?

Fill out this form and someone will get back to you!

https://bit.ly/NYHAQ

14 of 71

CURRENT

LANDSCAPE

15 of 71

NYS budget always disappoints. Budget holes still. Always diluted with concessions and incremental policy.

Not enough to protect New Yorkers against current and looming federal cuts to healthcare and other arenas.

We are in an affordability crisis. People WITH insurance still can’t get the care they need. Premiums just keep skyrocketing.

Our organizing continues regardless of what happens in the state budget that is always disappointing.

Every New Yorker should be free from the burden of medical costs

and have guaranteed healthcare as a right by passing the New York Health Act.

We are in an affordability crisis. Insurance premiums are skyrocketing in 2026. Our healthcare is suffering under greedflation, as health insurance & big pharma corporations limit and deny care in order to maximize their profits. The NY Health Act means over 90% of NYers will have more money in their pockets that currently goes to insurance profits & property taxes.

People WITH insurance STILL can’t get the care they need. Healthcare costs keep skyrocketing. While we continue to pass impactful incremental policies, we must simultaneously work on the long-term, sustainable, systemic solution as well. The NY Health Act is the ONLY bill that removes the root problem of profiteers while controlling costs.

We must protect against cuts to Medicaid and ACA subsidies. The NY Health Act solves the healthcare budget crisis for the state and for families. NYHA is the only legislation that will generate the savings needed to fill the massive budget hole resulting from federal Medicaid/Medicare/ACA cuts. NYHA reclaims what is now wasted on profits for insurance, pharma and private equity corporations, and the administrative bloat associated with our intentionally convoluted, multi-tiered, discriminatory healthcare system.

16 of 71

YOU ONLY GET

WHAT YOU’RE

ORGANIZED

TO TAKE

17 of 71

‘Power grows from organization… Freedom is never given. It must be taken. And therefore you only get what you are organized to take!’ Are you able to generate a critical mass of power to counter the existing power relationship to make change? We’ve got to be real about that. Otherwise we’re playing games. As Malcolm X once stated, ‘power only respects power… power never takes a step back except in the face of more power.”

- Willie Baptist, National Union of the Homeless

18 of 71

“Movements are born of critical connections rather than critical mass.” James Boggs, Grace Lee Boggs (1974). “Revolution and Evolution”

19 of 71

LEADERSHIP

Accepting responsibility for enabling others to achieve shared purpose in the face of uncertainty

I’m the leader

We’re all leaders

Constellations�of�leaders!

20 of 71

34 years

2021

WE ARE ON THE SHOULDERS OF THOSE BEFORE US. This movement has shifted they narrative over these 30+ years!

The opposition is well funded but our movement has been steadily gaining ground. PNHP-NY Metro, NYSNA and State Wide Senior Action Council birthed the Campaign for NY Health in 2014, and has since been joined by hundreds of organizations and partners.

This is not just about passing a bill. This is about building a mass movement. This is about building power. We go into every year with the possibility and goal to pass the bill, but whether it passes or not - we know the work we are doing is to build power.

We know that the hard part comes AFTER the bill is passed. The hard part is after we pass the bill and we have to defend it and make sure it is implemented without dilution.

We also know that the insurance companies and their millions of lobbying dollars will work even harder than they are now to spread misinformation about the NY Health Act when we have to fight for it in the NYS budget.

And our coalition has grown! People NATIONWIDE want to see New York and California lead the way to national Medicare for All. Since 2019, the national M4A movement also wants to see us win. Organiznig for medicare for all on the federal and on the state level can be the same work. Lets take advantage of this.

21 of 71

Strategy to Win

Stories: Grow collective leadership
Stories: Shift the narrative, shift the narrator
Stories: Visibilize public support
Stories: Influence policies and elections

“Movements begin with the telling of

untold stories.” - Willie Baptist

We pass the NY Health Act by influencing policies and elections. We influence policies and elections by visibilizing public support. We visiblize public support by shifting the narrative and the narrators. We shift the narrative and narrators by growing collective leadership. We grow collective leadership by sharing our stories.

Our personal experiences relate to challenges people are experiencing all over the state and beyond. Storytelling, story gathering and story sharing leadership is what will help us build a mass movement to win guaranteed healthcare for all and more.

When those in the struggle tell their stories, we see the crisis differently, and we also see that we are not alone.

Additionally, scientifically, and when we study movement history, we see over and over that stories draw people in more so than stats/facts.

The dominant narrative about these crises is that they are individual, not systemic. We confront that lie and the lie of scarcity or incremental concessions by telling our stories and connecting our stories to show it is systemic.

Our stories give us clarity about what we are up against.

Our stories is the root of every strategy and tactic to build the movement, pressure lawmakers, invite others to take action, talk with media, raise public consciousness and to win.

We know what a death grip the health insurance industry has on Albany and on us. We can only defeat them by having a mass movement.

22 of 71

BREAKING SILOS

23 of 71

LONG TERM CARE

24 of 71

NO MORE CRUMBS

MEDICARE disADVANTAGE

CARE NOT CORRUPTION

25 of 71

SUPPORTING STRIKING NURSES

26 of 71

Guaranteed universal healthcare

for racial & economic justice!

“Racism works to fracture and scatter families and communities.” - Dr. Rhea Boyd

RACIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE!

Passing the NY Health Act is more than just health policy. It is more than just what happens at the doctor’s office.

Dr. Rhea Boyd, a pediatrician and public health advocate based in the Oakland, California, says “Racism works to fracture and scatter families and communities.”

The current healthcare system is one major, major structure that upholds and enables white supremacy.

The NY Health Act removes this major industry that continually EXTRACTS wealth from us. It also REDISTRIBUTES wealth into care and into our communities, which helps us achieve ending homelessness, helps us have nurses and counselors in schools instead of cops, helps us meet mental health crises with care instead of violence, helps us decarcerate our state - all things, we know, improve public health, and help communities thrive!

27 of 71

Albany Snapshot

28 of 71

Introduced 1991

NYSNA, Dick Gottfried, PNHP-NY Metro, StateWide Senior Action

Likely Health, Finance/Ways & Means, Insurance, Codes

“To the floor” for vote

Pass financials the following year

in the NYS Budget

Defend implementation phase

How a bill becomes law

https://www.nysenate.gov/how-bill-becomes-law

So let’s talk very very briefly about how a bill is created and becomes a law.

In New York State, someone has a policy idea - it can start with a legislator. It can start with an advocate or community member. We find a legislator that is willing to write up a bill with us. In our case, it was former Assemblymember Dick Gottfried who just retired a few years ago and is still a large part of the NYHA movement as a civilian.

Once the bill is drafted, it goes through a short bureaucratic process in Albany and is finally assigned a bill number - bill numbers change every two years.

Then, the legislator is able to introduce the bill into their house. Then it has to pass through at least one committee before it can go to the floor for a vote by the whole house. In the case of the NYHA, it always starts in the Health Committee. Once it passes out of the health committee, it would likely go to the insurance committee, the finance committee, and/or the codes committee. None of that is set in stone. And it is decided by the Senate Majority Speaker and the Assembly Speaker.

Usually a bill has both an Assembly sponsor and a Senate sponsor. Often the bill language is exactly the same. And both houses have to introduce the NY Health Act, pass it through various committees, get it on the calendar for a floor vote, pass it on the floor, reconcile any differences if there are any between the Senate bill version and the Assembly bill version, and then the governor has to sign it into law.

In the case of the NY Health Act, we pass the bill based on its human rights principles, THEN, in the following legislative session, we have to pass the financing mechanism for NYHA - the scare tactics we have to inoculate and defend against at this stage may be even more difficult than we currently deal with trying to pass the bill. Once that budget is passed, THEN we move to the implementation phase. This implementation phase may be the even more difficult part of our work - seeing the implementation come to fruition and defending it from dilution, co-optation or incremental concessions and attacks.

29 of 71

2017-18 NY Health Act

2025-26 NY Health Act

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S3425

For example, the NY Health Act. On the left is the Senate bill page for 2025-2026. You can see the bill has been introduced. It is sitting in a Senate Committee.

Click View Actions - you can see it was sent to the Health Committee last January and remains there.

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/A4738

On the right side you can how the bill moved in the 2017-18 session.

2017 was a year where you can see it passed out of the Assembly committees and passed the Assembly floor. We tried to pressure the Senate to be as cool as the Assembly, but it stalled in the Senate Health Committee.

In 2021 and 2022, we technically had majority support in both houses, and the chairs of both Health Committees were NYHA champions, so it seems like NYHA should have passed no problem... Let's get to who holds power in Albany.

30 of 71

WHO

HOLDS

POWER

In Albany

31 of 71

Governor Kathy Hochul

32 of 71

Senate Majority Leader�Andrea Stewart-Cousins

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie

Other legislators - their colleagues
Grassroots orgs
Media coverage
Union collaboration
Their own constituents
Money?

So, what moves Sen. Stewart-Cousins & AM Heastie?

ASC & HEASTIE must see the NY Health Act as a priority

in order to bring to a vote.

33 of 71

Spectrum of Allies

34 of 71

Legislators can generally be categorized as:

Care champions!

Active cosponsors

Passive cosponsors (supports on paper only)

Marginal - vulnerable to losing their seat

Critical power players

Not Yet Cosponsor - historically no

Not Yet Cosponsor - moveable

Not Yet Cosponsor - newly elected (replaced someone who was a cosponsor, replaced a Republican, replaced not yet cosponsor)

Republican

*sometimes multiple categories are true

35 of 71

2026 Westchester Delegation

36 of 71

2026 Bronx Delegation

37 of 71

55 Samra Brouk

53 Rachel May

56 Jeremy Cooney

40 Peter Harckham

60 Sean Ryan

50 John Mannion

135 Jennifer Lunsford

136 Sarah Clark

18 Taylor Darling

16 Gina Sillitti

85 Kenneth Burgos

125 Anna Kelles

2022 Marginal Legislators

38 of 71

Union Support

39 of 71

Senate Majority Leader�Andrea Stewart-Cousins

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie

Other legislators - their colleagues
Grassroots orgs
Media coverage
Union collaboration
Their own constituents
Money?

So, what moves Sen. Stewart-Cousins & AM Heastie?

ASC & HEASTIE must see the NY Health Act as a priority

in order to bring to a vote.

40 of 71

Bronx Healthcare Town Hall

Zaccaro District Organizing

41 of 71

LOBBY

DAY

2026

March 17

42 of 71

43 of 71

50+ Cosponsors

44 of 71

230+ participants

Buffalo Rochester Syracuse Ithaca Mohawk Valley Hudson Valley Westchester Capital Region Bronx Manhattan Queens Long Island Brooklyn

45 of 71

46 of 71

Press Conference & Rally

Sen. RIVERA Bronx

AM PAULIN Westchester

Sen. JABARI Brooklyn

AM KELLES Hudson Valley

AM LEVENBERG Westchester

AM RAGA Queens

Mowaz Alvi - NYPIRG, UHLAF

David Alexis - NYCC, DSA

Jon McFarlane - NY Caring Majority

Alex Le - CIR-SEIU, UHLAF

Lana Leonard - ACT UP Trans Working Group

Vinny Cinque - Care Coordinator and Advocate for his family in Long Term Care

Joy Montague - 1199 SEIU

47 of 71

48 of 71

49 of 71

50 of 71

22 Meetings

16 Team Captains

Lots of research

NYHA: Gained 76th AM!!!

Homecare:

42 → 61 AMs

18 → 21 Sen

Primary Care:

24 → 33 AMs

18 → 20 Sen

51 of 71

ASSEMBLY 76/150 Cosponsors�76 = majority��Has passed out of Assembly in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 with 2:1 margins

Last passed through Health Committee in 2022 (Gottfried’s last year)��SENATE 34/63 Cosponsors�32 = majority�Has never made it out of Health Committee�or to the floor.

LEADERSHIP�Working Groups were created in 2021 but not since.

Last had majority cosponsorship in both houses in 2021, and now!

GOV HOCHUL�no public stance yet, focuses on incremental change, hesitant to raise taxes

New York Health Act

A1466/S3425

2025-26

BUDGET: January - April 1

END OF SESSION - June ___

Assembly Health Committee Chair

Amy Paulin

Assembly Sponsor

Senate Health Committee Chair

Gustavo Rivera

Senate Sponsor

As of April 13, 2026

52 of 71

Mariana Piñeda

¡Presente! 1979-2026

“Five years later, Pineda vowed to keep pushing politicians for health reform. Pineda said: “I am going to harass them until I drop dead and I hope I drop dead on their doorstep for a good photo op.”

Mariana Piñeda ¡Presente! 1979-2026

Mariana Pineda Presente: https://vimeo.com/1179630969?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Mariana Birddogging Senator Gaughran: https://www.facebook.com/reel/507183506783425

Mariana Poor People’s Campaign Testimonial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z8hU7JHtcE

Mariana COVID Video Story: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1014398899016751

Mariana COBRA/COVID Story via Zoom: https://www.facebook.com/reel/475057347141573

PNHP-NY Metro post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWo-NCtDwbq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/05/us-medicare-for-all-covid-survivor-treatment

A Tribute to Mariana: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AP5pSoApzfav5ZY-Xwy6PsoWKS1XL0y_QnvspKv-cFI/edit?tab=t.0

From Kairos (Rev. West McNeill):

Mariana Pineda was a courageous and committed leader in the struggle for the rights and dignity of all people. Mariana worked as a public school teacher on Long Island until she became disabled after contracting COVID in 2020. When she became sick, Mariana had already been active for years in the movement for universal healthcare in New York State and nationally. Her long illness and ongoing battle to access care only deepened her commitment and resolve to fight–not only for the right to healthcare, but for all of our human rights.

As she endured countless Emergency Room visits and hospitalizations, and then became unhoused and lived for two years in a shelter with her young son, Mariana sought out ways to use her experiences and story to help others and advance the movement for justice.

She regularly shared her hard-won wisdom at rallies and events, and she was known to fearlessly confront politicians with her sharp analysis and moral clarity. She also was an organizer, regularly helping to create spaces to connect people around shared values and a vision for a better world. She was an active and beloved leader in the New York State Poor People’s Campaign and many other groups, including Long Island DSA, Campaign for NY Health, Physicians for a National Health Program-NY Metro, and Freedom Church of the Poor.

Mariana leaves behind a large network of friends and family, including her 10-year-old son. Her absence will be felt deeply across the communities of which she was a part, and yet we know her legacy will continue on through them and through the ongoing struggle for a world in which everyone can thrive.

53 of 71

BEFORE END OF SESSION: June 4

54 of 71

#WakeUPCall4NYHA�bit.ly/Action4NYHA

EVERY WEDNESDAY until end of legislative session (June 4)

Use our Action Tool (collective action, strategy)

Action tool connects call to your legislators

Tools available to also call Sen. Majority Leader Andrew Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Gov. Kathy Hochul

Share out the Action Tool on your social media to invite others to contact their legislators too!

Use #PassNYHealth #WakeUpCall4NYHA

Can tag your legislators or friends or organizations and influcencers

55 of 71

#WakeUPCall4NYHA�bit.ly/Action4NYHA

Tag us, your legislators, your friends and other organizations

Instagram @pnhp_nymetro

Bluesky - Twitte r - Facebook - Tiktok @PNHPNYMetro

56 of 71

#MedStoryMonday

57 of 71

Success with social media as a strategy

Social media is the online equivalent of taking to the streets and rallying in front of our legislators' houses. Social media can be a potent tool to showcase the strong public support for the NY Health Act to and to apply pressure on key decision-makers. And social media advocacy can show decision makers and the media that an issue is supported by a mass movement.

On this slide we see that legislators like Assemblymember Karines Reyes, organizations like the NY State Nurses Association, Dancers for NYHA, Coalition for Asian-American Children and advocates statewide are participating in various social media storms we have had in the past.

You can simply repost something PNHP-NY Metro posts, but more people will see a repost if you write a few words of your own too like everyone on this slide did.

58 of 71

#MedStoryMonday

Storytellers
Org partners
Legislative partners
Influencers

Follow PNHP-NY Metro on social media

Like the #MedStoryMonday post

Comment on the #MedStoryMonday post, tag your legislators or friends and organizations

Repost the the #MedStoryMonday, tag your legislators or friends and organizations, consider sharing one reason why you support the NY Health Act

59 of 71

Legislative Tracker

www.bit.ly/TRACKNYHA

60 of 71

Memos of Support

61 of 71

Action Party!

5:00pm

#WakeUpCall4NYHA

#MedStoryMonday

Memos of Support

Build Community

62 of 71

POLL

Action Pledge

63 of 71

Join Capital Region �Campaign for NY Health Hub�mini lobby meetings & visibility

64 of 71

Join Western & Central NY

to plan healthcare town halls

with legislators

https://www.metrojustice.org/260427_nyha_organizing)

65 of 71

Campaign for NY Health Regional Hubs

Long Island
Western NY
Hudson Valley
Bronx/Westchester
Albany
Delaware County
Finger Lakes
Brooklyn
Utica

66 of 71

SUMMER 2026:

Get ready�for November

67 of 71

Budget: Jan - April 1

End of session: June 4

68 of 71

CANVASSING & TABLING!

69 of 71

BUILD THE MOVEMENT

Volunteer

Data entry
Website stuff
Translation
Research
Social Media / Content

Events & Actions Organizing

Tabling
NYHA 101 / Town Hall
Phonebank & textbank
In-district lobby meetings
Host training
Lead or convene a district
Canvass businesses
Resolutions

70 of 71

PNHP NY Metro�Working Groups & NYHA Activities

State (NY Health Act) Legislative Advocacy Working Group �
Education & Outreach Working Group�
Labor Organizing�
Writing Team: Op-Eds & LTE’s�
Anti-Racism Working Group�
Social Media / Content Teams

Sign up here: www.pnhpnymetro.org/working_groups

71 of 71

EVERYBODY IN!

NOBODY OUT!