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PUBLIC TESTIMONY

Testimony by Earl Kimmick, Community Activist Advocate from Campaign For New York Health Coalition

3:06:23

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104 sec

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Earl Kimmick, a community activist advocate for the Campaign For New York Health Coalition, testifies in support of healthcare workers and criticizes the current healthcare system, particularly the role of insurance companies in limiting patient care. He advocates for the New York Health Act as a solution to these issues.

Highlights the problem of limited patient visit times (20 minutes) compared to longer insurance agent interactions (25 minutes)
Expresses support for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers facing staffing shortages and overwork
Criticizes insurance companies for denying care and medication, causing suffering to patients and families
Urges New Yorkers, including city council members and union members, to push for the statewide New York Health Act

Earl Kimmick

3:06:23

Hi.

3:06:24

Thank you.

3:06:24

My name is Earl Kimmick.

3:06:26

I'm a community activist advocate that works with the Campaign For New York Health Coalition for the New York Health Act.

3:06:34

We heard over and over again, how there's a a visit with patients are limited to 20 minutes and yet you have 25 minutes to talk to an insurance agent, profiteering, you know, insurance that is denying care, that is, denying medication, that is, then this is life giving care.

3:06:59

Life giving medication where people suffer, families suffer.

3:07:03

And, so I'm I'm here to say, of course, I support the doctors who are short staffed, the nurses who recently won some victories and and agreements to no longer be short staffed, we'll see what happens with that.

3:07:19

Congratulations on those those fights both in the health and hospitals and the private, sector nurses.

3:07:25

But then there's also the nurses and the doctors tell me that there's a shortage with transport workers, phlebotomists, porters, social workers, and the whole infrastructure in the hospitals.

3:07:35

And everybody, like a team, is picking up to make it happen, but everybody's overworked and there's zero reason why doctors should be on the phone for 25 minutes with an insurance agent denying care, denying medication when they could be treating patients.

3:07:53

And so whatever we can do as far as New Yorkers to push for the statewide bill, the New York Health Act, whether we're city council, union members, or just citizens, we need to make that happen for us in this time.

3:08:07

Thank you.

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