The New York State legislature has taken an important step toward increasing access to primary care and advancing health equity for every New Yorker.

Under the leadership of Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Senator Gustavo Rivera, the Assembly and Senate recently introduced AB 8592/SB 1197B, a bill designed to help expand access to high-quality primary care and improve health outcomes for all people across New York State. Today, SB 1197B passed through the Senate Health Committee.

If enacted, this legislation will (1) measure the current level of primary care spending in the state by private and public insurers, (2) require state agencies to make that spending publicly available in annual reports, and (3) require insurers that report less than 12.5% of their overall health spending on primary care to increase their spending by 1% each year until they reach that target. The funds mandated through this increase must be spent on supporting primary care services directly and strengthening the state’s primary care infrastructure.

As these bills move through the legislature, we call on health care stakeholders and leaders to support AB 8592/SB 1197B and make primary care access a reality for every New Yorker in every community.