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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Westchester County Health Committee Hears Presentation on New York Health Act (Nov. 4, 2026)

Board of Legislators & Committees — Wednesday, November 4, 2026

BodyWestchester County, New York

SessionBoard of Legislators & Committees

DateWednesday, November 4, 2026

StatusNEW · FILED

Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Erica said she had 102 this morning.

Speaker 2

0:05

Two of them.

0:05

So 100 to meet here is

Speaker 1

0:09

being recorded and summarized.

Unassigned speaker

0:11

I don't

Speaker 2

0:11

know.

0:12

Good afternoon.

0:13

Uh good morning, everyone.

0:14

I'm legislative Joel Williams Johnson, Chair of the Board of Legislators Committee on Health.

0:19

Today is Wednesday, November 4th, 2026.

0:24

And with both myself and committee vice chair Barr here, we are calling the meeting to order at 11 15 a.m.

0:34

Today we are taking a closer look at the campaign for New York Health and the vision behind the New York Health Act.

0:42

At its core the proposal ask us to imagine a system where access to health care.

0:48

Wouldn't that no longer depend on where you work, what you earn, whether your doctor is in network, or whether you can afford the next deductible copay or prescription.

0:59

And at a time when families, employers, and local governments are all feeling the pressure of rising health care costs.

1:06

I think the larger question is an important one.

1:10

Is the way we finance health care actually serving our health?

1:14

We're extremely pleased to welcome Steven Rabinowitz, convenient convener of for the Westchester Hub of the Campaign for New York Health, and Melanie Diarrigo, executive director of the campaign, who will walk us through the proposal and what it will cover and what it would mean for New Yorkers.

1:35

Thank you so much for uh joining us today.

1:37

We're really excited to uh uh get smarter about this and become more informed.

1:44

So thank you for having me.

Speaker 3

1:46

Great.

1:47

Um you want to start the okay.

Unassigned speaker

1:50

Speaker 3

1:50

we're gonna walk through a slideshow here, and you know, feel free to stop any stop me at any point in

Speaker 4

1:55

general.

1:56

Julian, if you have any questions.

Speaker 3

2:09

We can go into a little detail.

2:11

Okay, and we're here again to talk about the New York Health Act.

2:14

Next that's my shameless plug, just so you know, uh my notes is Joe.

2:20

I'm uh 30 year veteran of state service, as with the uh state of precipitation services, and worked on a lot of work in health care policy, was very involved with the uh Medicaid task force when we converted to Medicaid Managed Care.

Speaker 4

2:32

Unassigned speaker

2:33

been

Speaker 3

2:33

around health policy a long time.

2:35

Next, please.

Unassigned speaker

2:38

Speaker 3

2:38

this is the agenda for what we're gonna cover today.

2:41

Um the current health care system, what's the New York Health Act?

2:44

How's it work?

2:44

How will it help?

2:45

How does it impact Westchester?

2:47

Some dispel some myths about it, and how big we can

Speaker 4

2:51

get involved.

2:51

Next, please.

2:55

Our current health care system.

2:57

Next.

Speaker 3

3:00

Well, something I think, yeah, some of this will be not news to anybody here, but

Speaker 4

3:04

uh just

Speaker 3

3:05

before I'm going through

Speaker 4

3:05

it quickly anyway.

Speaker 3

3:06

One thing we do know New York, uh the United States spends more on health care per capita than any other kind of you know, advanced economy in the world uh by a very large margin.

3:16

Uh next, please.

3:20

Yet our health outcomes, as much as we like to think that we have a great health care system, um, don't look very good compared to uh other countries in terms of longevity.

3:30

Um, it could be any number of issues, including things like um eternal uh death, which is uh death, which you know was particularly taxed uh case of color.

3:44

So uh for all the money we're spending, we're just not doing that well.

3:47

Next week.

3:49

And yet we are the only of the uh major countries in the world that does not have some universal health

Unassigned speaker

3:56

care.

Speaker 3

3:57

And by the way, has the slides, which I'll be happy to share if you want to review these at leisure.

4:02

I'm gonna run through relatively quickly.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Health█████████████████████████████████████████████74%

Economic Development█████8%

Public Engagement████7%

Technology and Innovation██3%

Labor Relations██3%

Budget Equity Analysis█2%

Public Sector Employee Benefits█2%

Mental Health Awareness█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Westchester County Health Committee Hears Presentation on New York Health Act (Nov. 4, 2026)

The Westchester County Board of Legislators Committee on Health, chaired by Legislator Jewel Williams Johnson, held a meeting on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, from 11:15 AM to 12:21 PM to examine the Campaign for New York Health and the New York Health Act. Presenters Steven Rabinowitz, Convener of the Westchester Hub of the Campaign, and Melanie D'Arrigo, Executive Director of the Campaign, provided an overview of the proposed single-payer healthcare system and fielded questions from legislators. Vice Chair Legislator Barr also participated in the discussion.

Discussion Items

Critique of Current System: Steven Rabinowitz argued the current healthcare system prioritizes profits over health, citing that the United States spends more per capita on healthcare than any other advanced economy yet achieves poorer outcomes. He noted that 740,000 New Yorkers carry medical debt and that medical debt is the single largest cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S.
Overview of the New York Health Act: The presenters described the Act as a universal single-payer system that would replace private health insurance. It would cover all medically necessary care including primary, specialty, hospital, dental, vision, hearing, long-term care, and mental health services with no premiums, deductibles, or copays.
Funding Mechanism: Melanie D'Arrigo explained the system would be funded through a gradually progressive payroll tax. She stated the first $25,000 of income would be exempt, and illustrative models suggest most individuals earning under $350,000 would pay less than their current combined premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
Impact on Westchester County: The presenters highlighted a study by Dr. Judy Sherquist of the League of Women Voters projecting net annual savings of approximately $500 million for Westchester County, $11 million for the Village of Scarsdale, and up to $20 million for the Scarsdale School District. Rabinowitz added that roughly 10.5% of property taxes at the municipal level currently go towards funding public employee health insurance costs.
Job and Transition Concerns: Rabinowitz addressed concerns about job losses in the health insurance industry, arguing that AI and automation would eliminate many of those jobs regardless, and that the Act includes funding for extended unemployment benefits and job retraining. D'Arrigo added that a study projects the Act would create 8,000 to 12,000 net new jobs.
Union and Hospital Perspectives: D'Arrigo noted that many unions support the Act, while some like CSEA remain opposed, often due to misinformation. She stated that public hospitals like NYC Health + Hospitals are publicly supportive, while some hospital executives privately support the bill but are unable to do so publicly due to pressure from insurers.
Political Path and Implementation: The bill, reintroduced in 2025 by Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Dick Gottfried, is expected to be a priority for the 2027 legislative session. Implementation is estimated to take 1 to 3 years, depending on federal waivers for Medicare and Medicaid and the degree of pre-implementation work funded. Assemblymember Dana Levinberg is scheduled to hold a roundtable on the issue in early December 2026.

Key Outcomes

No formal votes or resolutions were passed during this informational hearing.
The presenters formally requested that the Westchester County Legislature consider passing a resolution in support of the New York Health Act.
Chair Jewel Williams Johnson expressed strong support for the Act, stating she would "lend whatever I can to get it across the line."
Guests committed to providing the committee with the white paper on municipal savings, illustrative tax structures, and a template for a resolution of support.
The meeting adjourned at 12:21 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Erica said she had 102 this morning. Two of them. So 100 to meet here is being recorded and summarized. I don't know. Good afternoon. Uh good morning, everyone. I'm legislative Joel Williams Johnson, Chair of the Board of Legislators Committee on Health. Today is Wednesday, November 4th, 2026. And with both myself and committee vice chair Barr here, we are calling the meeting to order at 11 15 a.m. Today we are taking a closer look at the campaign for New York Health and the vision behind the New York Health Act. At its core the proposal ask us to imagine a system where access to health care. Wouldn't that no longer depend on where you work, what you earn, whether your doctor is in network, or whether you can afford the next deductible copay or prescription. And at a time when families, employers, and local governments are all feeling the pressure of rising health care costs. I think the larger question is an important one. Is the way we finance health care actually serving our health? We're extremely pleased to welcome Steven Rabinowitz, convenient convener of for the Westchester Hub of the Campaign for New York Health, and Melanie Diarrigo, executive director of the campaign, who will walk us through the proposal and what it will cover and what it would mean for New Yorkers. Thank you so much for uh joining us today. We're really excited to uh uh get smarter about this and become more informed. So thank you for having me. Great. Um you want to start the okay. So we're gonna walk through a slideshow here, and you know, feel free to stop any stop me at any point in general. Julian, if you have any questions. We can go into a little detail. Okay, and we're here again to talk about the New York Health Act. Next that's my shameless plug, just so you know, uh my notes is Joe. I'm uh 30 year veteran of state service, as with the uh state of precipitation services, and worked on a lot of work in health care policy, was very involved with the uh Medicaid task force when we converted to Medicaid Managed Care. So been around health policy a long time. Next, please. So this is the agenda for what we're gonna cover today. Um the current health care system, what's the New York Health Act? How's it work? How will it help? How does it impact Westchester? Some dispel some myths about it, and how big we can get involved. Next, please. Our current health care system. Next. Well, something I think, yeah, some of this will be not news to anybody here, but uh just before I'm going through it quickly anyway.

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TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
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Westchester County Health Committee Hears Presentation on New York Health Act (Nov. 4, 2026)

Discussion Items

Critique of Current System: Steven Rabinowitz argued the current healthcare system prioritizes profits over health, citing that the United States spends more per capita on healthcare than any other advanced economy yet achieves poorer outcomes. He noted that 740,000 New Yorkers carry medical debt and that medical debt is the single largest cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S.

Overview of the New York Health Act: The presenters described the Act as a universal single-payer system that would replace private health insurance. It would cover all medically necessary care including primary, specialty, hospital, dental, vision, hearing, long-term care, and mental health services with no premiums, deductibles, or copays.

Funding Mechanism: Melanie D'Arrigo explained the system would be funded through a gradually progressive payroll tax. She stated the first $25,000 of income would be exempt, and illustrative models suggest most individuals earning under $350,000 would pay less than their current combined premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

Impact on Westchester County: The presenters highlighted a study by Dr. Judy Sherquist of the League of Women Voters projecting net annual savings of approximately $500 million for Westchester County, $11 million for the Village of Scarsdale, and up to $20 million for the Scarsdale School District. Rabinowitz added that roughly 10.5% of property taxes at the municipal level currently go towards funding public employee health insurance costs.

Job and Transition Concerns: Rabinowitz addressed concerns about job losses in the health insurance industry, arguing that AI and automation would eliminate many of those jobs regardless, and that the Act includes funding for extended unemployment benefits and job retraining. D'Arrigo added that a study projects the Act would create 8,000 to 12,000 net new jobs.

Union and Hospital Perspectives: D'Arrigo noted that many unions support the Act, while some like CSEA remain opposed, often due to misinformation. She stated that public hospitals like NYC Health + Hospitals are publicly supportive, while some hospital executives privately support the bill but are unable to do so publicly due to pressure from insurers.

Political Path and Implementation: The bill, reintroduced in 2025 by Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Dick Gottfried, is expected to be a priority for the 2027 legislative session. Implementation is estimated to take 1 to 3 years, depending on federal waivers for Medicare and Medicaid and the degree of pre-implementation work funded. Assemblymember Dana Levinberg is scheduled to hold a roundtable on the issue in early December 2026.

Key Outcomes

No formal votes or resolutions were passed during this informational hearing.

The presenters formally requested that the Westchester County Legislature consider passing a resolution in support of the New York Health Act.

Chair Jewel Williams Johnson expressed strong support for the Act, stating she would "lend whatever I can to get it across the line."

Guests committed to providing the committee with the white paper on municipal savings, illustrative tax structures, and a template for a resolution of support.

The meeting adjourned at 12:21 PM.

Meeting Transcript