Politic

Advocates applaud Governor, Senate and Assembly for preserving access to biomarker testing for Medicaid enrollees after lawmakers make minor changes to law ALBANY, NY – After months of debate, state lawmakers have finalized New York’s state budget, opting to preserve access to biomarker testing for Medicaid enrollees. The adopted budget changed language in the historic biomarker testing law, initially passed in 2023, to clarify biomarker testing is covered when it is medically necessary. The law will retain the most important […]

Every budget year faces unique challenges, and when those challenges involve major policy decisions, it is our responsibility to be both thorough and thoughtful. Throughout this budget process, I returned again and again to the data, and to ensuring that the policy in this budget truly addresses the affordability crisis and eases the burden on

New York’s paid medical leave system is broken. Today, a New Yorker facing a serious illness is only eligible for up to $170 a week in wage replacement through the state’s Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program—a benefit level that has not changed since 1989. That means someone recovering from cancer treatment, pregnancy complications, or a

New Yorkers for Affordable Energy (NYAE) — a coalition of labor unions, employers, trade associations, and energy‑dependent industries — today applauded Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders for taking the first step in delivering energy affordability to New Yorkers by recalibrating the mandates of the Climate Leadership Community Protection Act. NYAE also announced the launch

My family has served this community and its visitors for over 4 decades. I know this city’s rhythm: I know which Tuesday nights will be quiet, which Palace Theatre events will flood the streets, and how difficult it is to convince a loyal regular from Lansingburgh or Loudonville to make the trip downtown when the

Imagine you are a nurse in Albany, or a hotel housekeeper in Buffalo. You are pregnant, and your doctor has just told you to stop working for the safety of you and your baby. You have been paying into the state’s disability insurance system your entire working life. Now you need it. New York sends

For many Black women in New York, barriers to care are not confined to a single moment or condition. They are part of a broader health care experience marked by high medication costs, delayed treatment, and financial stress that lingers long after a doctor’s visit ends. The 340B Drug Pricing Program was created to address

The most expensive energy decision New York can make right now is doing nothing. Every time we delay practical infrastructure, we lock in more volatility — and working families and employers pay the price. In a state that still depends on manufacturing, construction, hospitals and critical public facilities, “wait and see” isn’t a plan. It’s a guarantee

Families in Westchester and across New York are seeing their utility bills skyrocket, and working families are being forced to make tough decisions between heating their homes and affording other basic necessities. If we are serious about affordability, we must also be serious about disentangling New York’s consumers from a volatile global energy market and