De Blasio said the plan,which would be financed out of the city's public health budget,would ultimately be cost effective by reducing hospital emergencyroom visits by uninsured patients and by improving public health.(Photo: Shutterstock)

(Bloomberg) –New York Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed a $100million plan that he said would provide affordable “healthcare for all,” reaching about600,000 people, including undocumented immigrants, low-incomeresidents not enrolled in Medicaid and young workers whose current plansare too expensive.

The plan, which de Blasio dubbed “NYC Care,” will offer publichealth insurance on a sliding price scale based onincome, the mayor said during an interview Monday morning onMSNBC.

It will begin later this year in the Bronx and will be availableto all New Yorkers in 2021, and would cost at least $100 milliononce it reaches full enrollment, according to the mayor'soffice.

The proposed city-funded health insurance option would assign aprimary care doctor to each plan participant and help patients findspecialists if needed.

De Blasio said the plan, which would be financed out of thecity's public health budget, would ultimately be cost effective byreducing hospital emergency room visits by uninsured patients andby improving public health.

The program builds upon the city's $1.6 billion a-yearDepartment of Public Health and Mental Hygiene budget and theseparately funded public hospital system, which already serves475,000 under-insured and uninsured patients annually, includingundocumented immigrants, in more than 11 hospitals and 70neighborhood clinics.

The city already has an insurance plan, MetroPlus, that will beused as the template for the coverage. The program may take twoyears to get “to full strength,” de Blasio said.

The city's public-hospitals corporation, which was running adeficit approaching $1 billion several years ago, has reduced costsand gained revenue through the Affordable Care Act to the pointwhere it is approaching a surplus this year, de Blasio said.

“It involves taking the money we're spending right now and usingit a lot better,” de Blasio said.

It will be open to anyone who does not have insurance and takeadvantage of options already available under Medicaid, Medicare andthe Affordable Care Act. The goal is to reduce patients' use ofhospital emergency rooms and increase preventive care to reduceserious illness and the need for hospitalizations.

“We wanted one large solution for everyone,” de Blasio said. “Weare trying to avoid people getting health care the wrong way.”

The plan reflects the priority that Democrats have placed onaffordable health care, which was a major issue in the 2018mid-term elections that have given the party a majority in theHouse of Representatives.

De Blasio, 57, has traveled around the nation during the pastfive years seeking to establish himself as leader among progressiveDemocrats.

“Republicans in Washington have been trying to tear down healthcare,” de Blasio said. “We're doing the opposite.”

When asked why people should pay to insure undocumentedimmigrants, de Blasio answered: “You can pay me now or you can payme later. If we don't help people get the health care, we're goingto pay plenty on the back-end when people get really sick.”

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