Manhattan Electeds Praise De Blasio’s Health Care Initiative
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer lead a bevy of Manhattan electeds in praising the city’s announcement of a new plan that would guarantee health care for all.
Mayor Bill De Blasio made an announcement yesterday about his plans to launch a massive, comprehensive plan to secure health coverage for every New Yorker. The plan would cover uninsured New Yorkers by expanding New York’s public insurance option, MetroPlus and providing those ineligible for insurance with direct access to NYC Health + Hospitals’ services.
The announcement was met with rounds of applause from Manhattan’s elected officials.
“Health care should be a right, and while the ACA has helped, too many of us are still uninsured and struggle to get the care we need,” said Gale Brewer. “With this far-reaching plan to guarantee care for everyone, the de Blasio administration is showing the rest of the country that New Yorkers look out for each other.”
City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park) was just as pleased, noting that the measure was long overdue.
“Let’s say it loud and clear today – healthcare is a basic human right,” said Rivera. “No New Yorker should ever have to choose between paying for their health or putting food on the table. I want to thank Mayor de Blasio for working to ensure that everyone, including the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who are undocumented, has access to a healthcare option they can afford.”
Ydanis Rodriguez Releases Statement on Health Crisis at 181st Street Station
City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights, Inwood) released a statement yesterday about the city’s need to sanitize the 181st St. subway station. Earlier that day, it was reported by 1010 Wins that the station is “overflowing” with dirty syringes, due to heroin addicts using it as a dumping ground for their used needles.
Rodriguez said that the situation needs to be rectified ASAP, given the large number of New Yorkers who use the station on a regular basis.
“The 181st Street subway station is one of the most heavily frequented in Washington Heights with five schools in proximity,” said Rodriguez. “Our students travel to this station on a daily basis to commute to and from school. It is our responsibility to ensure that our train stations are clean and safe for our riders.”
Brad Hoylman Reintroduces Bill to Remove Donald Trump’s Name from State Park
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman recently reintroduced a bill to the State Senate – which, if passed, would mandate the re-designation of Donald J. Trump State Park in Putnam County. The bill, nicknamed the “Anything But Trump Act”, was originally introduced in late 2015.
“Having a NY state park named after you is an honor that Donald Trump doesn’t deserve,” Hoylman tweeted last Friday. “My bill… would strip his name from this park and allow it to named for a person who New Yorkers can be proud of.”
The 2019 State Senate session will begin today at 1:00 p.m. Watch it live here.
City Council to Hold Hearing on East Side Storm Contingency Plan
City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park) released a statement yesterday announcing an upcoming hearing on the East Side coastal resiliency project.
The new plan elicited some raised eyebrows in the City Council, as it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars more than the original community-led plan and would necessitate the closure of the East River Park for three years.
Rivera requested the hearing to give Mayor De Blasio and his team the opportunity to explain the new plan in greater detail.
“Even with multiple community briefings & meetings, we still do not have important details about this project, & I expect the mayor’s team to come well prepared for this hearing to help us understand the need for these drastic changes,” Rivera said in a tweet.
The hearing will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 23. Location TBD.
