GNYHA Foundation is a not-for-profit affiliate of Greater New York Hospital Association that was established in 1978 to conduct research and carry out special projects that are of interest to GNYHA member facilities and the broader health community. Kenneth E. Raske is President of GNYHA Foundation and Tim Johnson is Executive Director.

New York is home to nearly three million uninsured individuals, the majority of whom work, but still cannot afford coverage for themselves or their families. In addition, many more New Yorkers are considered under-insured because their coverage is inadequate or sporadic and exposes them to high health costs. A steady erosion in the employer-based system of health insurance coverage coupled with premium increases that have far outpaced wages have led to this situation. The problem is particularly acute for individuals who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, yet too little to afford private health insurance—these lower-income, working adults comprise the fastest growing segment of the uninsured. While the Child Health Plus (CHP) program has made affordable health insurance available to most uninsured children, until recently, no comparable program existed for adults, thus virtually guaranteeing continued growth in the number of uninsured adults in New York.

Furthermore, recent studies reveal that 1.3 million uninsured individuals are eligible for free or low-cost public health insurance, but remain without coverage because they are unaware they qualify or find the application process too difficult and confusing. Likewise, 50 percent of the uninsured are unaware of the free and low-cost programs and services available to them in their own communities. The GNYHA Foundation seeks to tackle these problems by expanding affordable health coverage and by creating informational resources that link uninsured and underinsured populations with available programs and services.

For more information, please visit the GNYHA Foundation Web site at www.gnyhafoundation.org.