Public Health
NYPIRG has pressed New York to become a national leader in health care policy. NYPIRG has led the fight for New York State to reduce the needless suffering, injuries and deaths that result from poor quality health care and harmful exposures to toxic chemicals, including tobacco and lead in paint and children’s products. NYPIRG has been a leader in fighting to maintain drinking water quality across the state.
NYPIRG has strongly advocated for improvements in the state's oversight of physicians. In legislation passed in 2008, New York significantly improved its doctor discipline program. In 2007, NYPIRG pushed for legislation to improve reporting and oversight of procedures performed in doctors' offices. In 2000, NYPIRG successfully advanced legislation that created a physician profiles program that allows patients to review the qualifications and legal history of their doctors. In addition, NYPIRG helped develop landmark legislation that protects enrollees in managed care plans by allowing them to appeal decisions to an impartial panel of health experts. NYPIRG has launched the Patient & Family campaign to promote greater transparency and safety in health care.
NYPIRG played a prominent role in advocating for New York's strong policies to protect children, workers and nonsmokers from exposure to tobacco smoke, programs designed to reduce underage smoking and the first-ever law to ensure that cigarettes sold in New York meet strong fire-safety standards. In addition, NYPIRG is closely monitoring implementation of a $1.4 billion agreement to protect drinking water consumed by 10 million New York City and Westchester County residents and fighting to protect drinking water supplies at risk from proposed hydraulic fracturing drilling technology. NYPIRG has led the fight for New York City’s strong Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention law and also to focus the state on lead poisoning prevention through legislation, advocating with state agencies and litigation.
Victories (click the plus sign to expand)
2008 - NYPIRG supports legislation that significantly improves New York’s oversight of physicians.
2007 - NYPIRG successfully pushes for legislation to improve reporting and oversight of medical and surgical procedures performed in doctors' offices.
2006 - NYPIRG wins a victory for the residents of Western New York and the Hudson Valley when Erie and Ulster counties permanently opt in to New York State's Pesticide Neighbor Notification law.
2005 - NYPIRG spearheads the effort in New York City to enact a law that will begin restricting hazardous pesticide use on all city land, protecting the health of millions of New Yorkers. NYPIRG successfully lobbies for legislation that requires the state to post pharmacies’ prescription drug prices on the Internet, making it easier for New Yorkers without insurance coverage for prescription drugs to save money. NYPIRG successfully works with other consumer groups to negotiate a legislative agreement to create a hospital infection reporting system.
2004 - NYPIRG successfully lobbies for fire-safe cigarette legislation, which requires that only cigarettes that meet fire safety standards will be sold in the state.
2003 - NYPIRG helps spearhead an effort to pass the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act to comprehensively and cost-effectively prevent lead hazards in New York City. In a major public health victory, NYPIRG supports legislation that bans cigarette smoking in virtually all indoor areas.
2002 - NYPIRG successfully advocates for legislation that provides new protections for health care whistleblowers and stops legislation that would have drastically weakened oversight of physicians.
2001 - NYPIRG successfully advocates for legislation that helped expand New York’s health surveillance system by tracking injuries and diseases treated in hospital emergency rooms. The bill was a top priority of asthma activists. NYPIRG-supports legislation that requires that tobacco products must be sold from behind merchants’ counters and not made available on store shelves.
2000 - NYPIRG helps spearhead a multi-year effort in support of the Pesticide Neighbor Notification bill, which allows counties to pass local laws requiring commercial lawn applicators to provide written notice to abutting properties at least 48 hours prior to most lawn pesticide applications. NYPIRG supports unprecedented legislation which requires fire-safety standards for all cigarettes sold in New York State. NYPIRG fights to strengthen penalties for retailers who are caught selling cigarettes to minors.
1999 - NYPIRG successfully fights to increase medical coverage for the uninsured using the first $900 million payment of the state’s settlement of tobacco litigation and by doubling cigarette excise tax.
1998 - NYPIRG successfully fights for a law allowing consumers locked in a medical dispute with their insurers to appeal to impartial health experts. In an effort to reduce air pollution, NYPIRG fights for passage of legislation that requires the inspection of large trucks and buses for proper tailpipe maintenance.
1997 - NYPIRG works to secure legislation which grants $2.5 million to improve enforcement of local tobacco prevention laws. NYPIRG helps negotiate a $1.4 billion agreement to improve drinking water quality for 10 million residents of New York City and Westchester County.
1996 - NYPIRG works with the state Medical Society to develop legislation that makes it easier for the state Health Department to discipline doctors guilty of malpractice and to strengthen protections for HMO consumers.
1994 - NYPIRG leads the successful effort to ban tobacco use on all school grounds in New York State.
1992 - NYPIRG supports passage of health care reforms that include a law protecting "high risk" individuals from discrimination by private health insurers, a law establishing lead screening for pregnant women and children under six, and strong legislation to keep kids from smoking.
1991 - NYPIRG supports passage of a law that streamlines state oversight of physicians, creates a consumer oversight panel and requires increased consumer access to disciplinary information.
1989 - NYPIRG victories include a law restricting cigarette smoking in public places.
1985 - NYPIRG defeats a bill which would have restricted the rights of medical malpractice victims.
1982 - The Bottle Return Law, which establishes the 5-cent deposit on cans and bottles, is adopted after a 10-year NYPIRG campaign. A $30 million Superfund is established to expand New York’s toxic dump clean-up program.
1978 - NYPIRG defeats product liability legislation that would have limited consumers’ rights to financial compensation for injuries caused by defective products.