Statement By Attorney General Eliot Spitzer

The plight of the more than 3.1 million New Yorkers who lack health insurance will receive much needed attention here in New York and across the country with the designation of Cover the Uninsured Week. We should seize this opportunity to work on providing these New Yorkers and all Americans access to affordable, high quality medical care.

We know firsthand that the problem in New York is dire. My Health Care Bureau receives over 8,800 calls a year from consumers with health care issues and recently reported that the greatest single issue among those who call is access to health insurance coverage. One in four (25 percent) of calls to our Health Care Helpline is about coverage: how to get it, what kinds are available, how to keep it, why it is lost and how to get it back.

I am particularly concerned about companies that exploit the uninsured by offering cut rate coverage or medical discount cards that do not live up to promises made or comply with the law. Many uninsured, vulnerable New Yorkers have been tempted by the lure of lower premiums or exaggerated discounts, only to find out that the coverage or discounts they were promised are not there when they are sick and in need.

Additionally, we need to address the concerns of those who are "under-insured." For example, Congress must enact a comprehensive, affordable prescription drug benefit for our seniors and people with disabilities who are enrolled in Medicare. New York's EPIC program, which provides low-cost prescription coverage to seniors, should be expanded to provide coverage to people with disabilities under 65.

My office will continue to protect the rights of health care consumers and will work with the sponsors of Cover the Uninsured Week and others to expand health insurance coverage to all New Yorkers.

Note: Consumers may contact the Attorney General's toll-free Health Care Helpline at (800) 771-7755 (option 3 of the automated voice menu).