Big push for universal health care

To the editor:

(re: “Universal health care depends on just one senator we all know,” Sept. 28)

Your editorial endorsing the New York Health Act and urging Sen. Jeffrey Klein to step up and encourage his Republican colleagues to support this bill in the coming legislative session was persuasive, informative, and a much-needed voice.

The Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration seem intent on continuing to plague us with threats to repeal the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), an imperfect step in the right direction toward universal health care for Americans. 

Even under ACA, millions of New Yorkers are without health insurance. More will fall into this trap if ACA is repealed.

The New York Health Act, as you note, will bring cost-effective, universal and comprehensive health care to all New Yorkers regardless of what assaults on our health care President Trump pursues.

So thank you for supporting the New York Health Act, for speaking directly to our state legislators on this most crucial issue, and for recognizing that our country must align itself with all others in the developed world and offer its citizens the basic right of universal health care.

Jack M. Gorman

The author is a medical doctor as well as chief executive and chief scientific officer of Franklin Behavioral Health Consultants, and co-founder and president of Critica LLC on Arlington Avenue.