MONTICELLO, NY — It’s been widely reported that Sullivan County has the second least healthy population in the state, and part of the cause is a lack of access to affordable healthcare. While Obamacare has improved the situation somewhat, there are still too many people who can’t afford premiums or co-pays.

According to most members on a panel of experts who gathered at the Ted Stroebele Community Center in Monticello on April 9, the healthcare picture in the county would be greatly improved if the state passed the New York Health Act. The act, which would create a statewide, universal, single-payer healthcare system, was passed by the Assembly last year, but so far the Senate has declined to vote on the legislation.

If the state were to pass the law, the county government would save millions of dollars in Medicaid payments every year, and the cost of providing healthcare to county employees and pensioners would be greatly reduced.

Gail Myers, deputy director of the Statewide Senior Action Council (SSAC) repeated an oft-reported figure that if the act should pass, the state will save $45 billion in healthcare costs in the first year alone.

There was only one person on the panel who did not necessarily buy into that rosy projection. Dr. Gerard Galarneau, the CEO of Catskill Regional Medical Center (CRMC), said that the devil is in the details, but he promised no matter what shape healthcare takes in the future, CRMC would be ready and willing to serve county residents.

The rest of the panel, which included Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, herself a registered nurse, and various other professionals, were convinced that the health of the state’s population would improve, care would be better and costs would be lower if the plan were passed.

Maria Alvarez, executive director of SSAC, said medical debt is responsible for the largest share of bankruptcies in the country, and if the act were passed, those bankruptcies would fade away in New York State.

Under the act, healthcare would be paid by a progressively graduated payroll tax, split 80%-20% between employer and employee respectively, or 100% to those who are self employed, but payments would be lower than those currently being paid.

A lobbying day is planned in Albany on May 10 to show support for the legislation. Go to www.nysenior.org or call 800/333-4374 for more information.