Jenifer Rajkumar backs single-payer healthcare bill

The Queens assemblymember said the legislation would guarantee healthcare coverage for all New Yorkers regardless of employment or income status.

Jenifer Rajkumar backing the bill / X/ Jenifer Rajkumar

New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar on May 19 voiced support for the New York Health Act, legislation aimed at creating a universal single-payer healthcare system in the state.

In a statement posted on social media, Rajkumar described the proposal as a “landmark legislation” that would guarantee healthcare coverage for all New Yorkers regardless of income or employment status.

Also Read: Influential NY democrat endorses Jenifer Rajkumar for reelection

Today in Albany, I proudly championed the New York Health Act, landmark legislation to bring a universal, single-payer healthcare system to New York.

This bill is transformative because it says, clearly and powerfully that healthcare is a human right. No New Yorker should delay… pic.twitter.com/G2kGKKKcVL
— Jenifer Rajkumar (@JeniferRajkumar) May 18, 2026

The New York Health Act, currently introduced in the state legislature as A1466/S3425, seeks to establish a publicly funded healthcare system covering all New York residents and some out-of-state workers employed full-time in New York.

“This bill is transformative because it says, clearly and powerfully that healthcare is a human right,” Rajkumar said. “No New Yorker should delay care because of cost, stay trapped in a job for health insurance, or face financial ruin because they got sick.”

Under the proposal, residents would receive comprehensive coverage without network restrictions, deductibles, or co-pays, according to the bill summary published by the New York State Assembly. The legislation also proposes creating a New York Health Trust Fund to finance the system through public revenue sources, including payroll-based assessments.

Rajkumar said the bill would “put patients — not insurance companies — at the center of our healthcare system,” while lowering costs for working families.

The legislation has been debated in Albany for decades and is considered one of the most prominent state-level single-payer healthcare proposals in the United States.

First introduced in 1991, the bill has previously passed the New York State Assembly multiple times but has faced obstacles in the Senate and amid debates over funding and the future role of private insurance.

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Comments

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James DURAISWAMY

2026-05-20 00:00:00

Single‑payer healthcare and eliminating private insurance companies? Wow. Have you visited Canada? When someone goes to the hospital there for something as simple as a leg sprain, the wait time can be months.

Besides, who would control a single‑payer system — the government? Please learn from experience: the government struggles to run even the programs it already has. Just look at the Social Security system. Why should the government be in the business of managing people’s personal choices? It’s my money, and I should be able to use it as I see fit, not have the government dictate it.

We pay taxes, and too often those funds are squandered on unnecessary programs or politically convenient projects. The government should stay out of the private sector. Because of policies like these coming out of Albany, New York has driven trillions of dollars in wealth and population to states like Florida (where I live) and Texas. At the rate New York is going, there may soon be no one left to tax.