Chair: Annette Choolfaian
Vice-Chair: Phyllis Lusskin
2012 Priorities
(1) Work in coalitions with other groups to promote policies to achieve universal health care coverage.
(2) Promote policies to eliminate financial barriers to access quality health care.
(3) Develop information materials and programs about health care reform under the Affordable Care Act for WCC members and the community.
(4) Advocate for policies to improve the quality of and access to health care for target populations including: (a) Adolescents, through such services as school-based Health Centers and physical education in the schools; and (b) The Aging Population, through such services as Long Term Care.
Recent Accomplishments
Youth and Adolescents
- 1/18/11 – Signs coalition letter to State legislators and Governor requesting they maintain funding for School-Based Health Centers. Funding is retained.
- 12/12/11 – Urges Governor to fund school based health centers (SBHCs).
Drs. Nir Barzilai, Stephanie Cosentino, and Mark S. Lachs answer participants' questions at WCC symposium on aging.
Healthcare
- 7/26/11 – Successfully advocates for inclusion of birth control without co-pays in insurance coverage under the new health reform law.
- 7/28/11 – Submits memorandum in support of New York Health Benefit Exchange.
- 8/15/11 – Urges protection of community-based facilitated enrollers from budget cuts.
Medicaid
- 10/26/11 – Hosts healthcare expert Kate Breslin for a discussion of Medicaid redesign.
- 12/11/11 – Urges Governor Cuomo to redesign Medicaid and public health care to ensure early access and intervention so that more intensive and expensive health interventions are not necessary.
- 2/16/12 – Calls on Senator Skelos, Governor Cuomo, and Speaker Silver to preserve the spousal refusal option for community-based Medicaid services. As a result, spousal refusal is maintained.
- 3/2/12 – Comments on the Medicaid Program brochure and consumer letter to help consumers understand the new Medicaid program.
- 3/16/12 – Urges NYS Department of Health officials and Deputy Secretary for Health, James Introne, to support the Long Term Care Community Coalition’s consumer response to the NYS Medicaid Redesign Team’s Managed Long Term Care Implementation and Waiver Work Group’s guidelines, as well as their implementation strategy.
