In New York, Democratic primary challenger for governor Cynthia Nixon says she backs a single payer health care system for the state and would put one in place if she’s elected.
Nixon, in a video, tells the story of her mother who did not have health insurance and discovered a lump on her breast was Nixon was 13-years-old. She says her mother got a job with health benefits, then waited a month to go to the doctor so she could not be disqualified for care because she had a pre-existing condition.
“And she had to act surprised when he pointed out the lump. None of this would happen in a rational, functioning healthcare system,” Nixon says in the video.
Her mother recovered, but Nixon says New Yorkers should not have to rely on an employer for healthcare, and she advocates passage of a measure that’s been approved several times in the state Assembly. It would enact a Medicare for All, single payer health system in New York.
She blames her opponent, Andrew Cuomo’s past support of breakaway Democrats in the state Senate for the measure’s inability to gain traction in the Senate.
