Political Economy of Reform under US Federalism: Adopting Single-Payer Health Coverage in New York State

Abstract

Health Act, a single-payer bill that would create a universal health financing plan for all New York State residents. Applying the Political Economy of Health Financing Framework, we analyze the politics of health reform in New York State and identify strategies to overcome opposition to this policy proposal. We find that while a clear political opportunity is in place, the prospects for adoption remain low given the power of symbolic politics and institutional inertia on the reform process.

BRICS expansion in the news coverage of member countries: a political economy perspective

“…The studies by (Mercille, 2017;Fox and Choi, 2019;Bhayroo, 2008;Khan, 2020;Ottinger and Winkler, 2022) together illustrate the relationship between media, politics and economics, employing a political economy lens to unravel the underlying dynamics. Despite their distinct contexts and issues of exploration, these studies converge on several key themes.…”

“…For instance, the research (Mercille, 2017) investigates how news media portray alcohol-related issues, revealing alignment with political and economic elites, which at times diverges from the scientific consensus, emphasizing the media's alignment with establishment perspectives. Similarly, Fox and Choi (2019) explore the limitations of the U.S. health financing system and how it shapes health policy implementation, exemplified by their analysis of the New York Health Act, while (Bhayroo, 2008) explores corporate imperatives' influence on online news content ownership and its implications for media diversity.…”

Can ENGLAND'S National Health System Reforms Overcome the Neoliberal Legacy?

“…83-85 The wider political climate is also influential. 17 Moreover, policy implementation takes place in the context of wider structural shifts, such as global capitalism. Neoliberalism, associated with a greater role for market structures and the private sector, increased individualism, and curbing of public spending, has had far-reaching effects on global health systems.…”

Political Context and Health Financing Reform

“…In New York, the need for laws to be approved by three entities-the Senate, the Assembly, and the governorship-has made reform adoption particularly difficult. 5 In addition, the structure of the political system may also have affected implementation in some of these settings: in Mexico, for instance, a country with a federal political system, state governments have slowed implementation of the national health insurance program, Seguro Popular. 6 With respect to features of civil society, as compared with many Western European countries, US political culture prioritizes individual responsibility and places much less emphasis on social solidarity, leading many to oppose a strong government role in ensuring health care coverage 4 -a point that applies to many citizens of New York State.…”

“…6 With respect to features of civil society, as compared with many Western European countries, US political culture prioritizes individual responsibility and places much less emphasis on social solidarity, leading many to oppose a strong government role in ensuring health care coverage 4 -a point that applies to many citizens of New York State. 5 Moreover, unlike several Northern European and Latin American countries, the pattern of interest group activity is pluralist, not corporatist, providing space for interest groups such as medical associations and the insurance industry to obstruct reform. 4 The cases considered in the special issue challenge some of Blake and Adolino's contentions concerning how political context may shape reform.…”