New York, NY – Today, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas joined the Coverage for All coalition, alongside impacted individuals, rallied at the State Capitol in Albany to demand the inclusion of the Coverage for All bill in the upcoming state budget.

Uninsured immigrants who would be eligible for health coverage under the legislation shared their struggles to access medical care before and during the pandemic. Following the presser, rally attendees marched throughout the Capitol, ending with a die-in along the Capitol Concourse and an outdoor vigil to mourn the deadly toll COVID-19 took on immigrant New Yorkers, and how the ongoing lack of healthcare access leaves them still vulnerable to the worst of the pandemic. Immigrant New Yorkers have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, dying at twice the rate of white New Yorkers since the pandemic began.

Today’s action comes less than a month before state lawmakers must finalize the FY2023 budget and follows a series of activations in February by immigrant communities in Harlem, Long Island, Midtown and Westchester.

Last month, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) launched an ad campaign across TV and digital platforms in response to Gov. Kathy Hochul leaving out healthcare for immigrant New Yorkers from her executive budget proposal. The Coverage for All coalition, New York Health Plan Association (NYHPA), NYS Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans also unveiled billboards near the State Capitol and in Westchester earlier this week, demanding the immediate expansion of health insurance coverage for all New Yorkers. These billboards remind our state legislature that over 150,000 low-income New Yorkers are currently barred from health insurance due to their immigration status.

The Coverage For All bill would create a state-funded health coverage option for New Yorkers with income up to 200% of the federal poverty line regardless of immigration status. Both versions of the Coverage For All bill(A880A/S1572A) were moved out of each legislative houses’ Health committee.

“The action that advocates and all of us are engaging in today is not hyperbolic. Undocumented New Yorkers are dying all over this state because they are the most vulnerable among us to suffer from healthcare disparities. And yet these are the same New Yorkers, our neighbors, that rose every day to help our state manage the coronavirus pandemic and continue to help us as we recover. They don’t need clapping. They need healthcare. So I call on our state legislature, leadership, and Governor to include coverage for all in our Assembly one-house and enacted budget. It is sound economic and healthcare policy and, put simply, it is the right thing to do,” said Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas.

“It is imperative that every New Yorker have access to affordable health insurance regardless of their immigration status. Despite being at the frontlines of this pandemic, thousands of low-income immigrant New Yorkers still struggle with the effects of the pandemic and are unable to access comprehensive care, which Albany got a small glimpse of today. The Governor, Senate and Assembly can end this cruel disparity in healthcare access by including Coverage for All in the budget. Today’s demonstration shows how essential it is that all New Yorkers and their families have the opportunity to stay healthy, strong and safe,” said Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition.

“Without health insurance and living with various health conditions caused by Covid-19, I am not able to access all the necessary care and medications I desperately need. I suffer from sinusitis and it's now harder for me to breathe. As a housecleaner, I often put myself and my family at risk of being exposed to covid. If I had access to health insurance, I would be able to put my health first, get my symptoms treated and live a better life. Governor Hochul and state legislators must prioritize including Coverage for All in the state budget this year. All immigrant New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, deserve access to affordable health insurance and to be healthy,” said Selene, A Member of Make the Road New York.