New York State Concurrence Page (2026)

Email hotline: LWV.Update4Convention@gmail.com

The LWV of Port Washington-Manhasset (PWM) of NY, along with the New York State and Vermont State Leagues, asks other state and local Leagues to support consideration of a Concurrence at National Convention 2026 that would update the current LWV National position on Privatization (2012). 

PLEASE HELP US! Here’s What, Why and How!

Table of Contents

1. Overview of the NY(PWM) update
2. Definitions
3. Essential Documents
   • The current LWVUS privatization position
   • Proposed Concurrence Statement (Port Washington Manhasset (NY-PWM)
4. HOW TO HELP: Ways your League can Support this Concurrence
5. What new advocacy will this Privatization position update permit?
6. Concurrence requirements and information
7. Learn More: Context and Studies

1. Overview of the NY (PWM) Privatization Position Update

The NY (PWM) Privatization Update seeks to clarify crucial elements that are IMPLICIT in the current US Privatization Position to make the elements EXPLICIT. League members from around the country want to use the LWVUS position to address an accelerating trend: i.e.,

The new wording shortens the Vermont Privatization position adopted by its state League in 2023, so state and local Leagues can advocate more effectively, confident that they are aligned with national League  policy. It uses language from the Vermont text but focuses on four essential elements in the national position: 1) includes the term “Health Care” in the list of examples of private goods covered by the position; 2) clarifies that the phrase in the current position “return[ing services or assets] to the government if a contractor fails to perform” would permit “de-privatization” as a remedy; 3) inserts “fiduciary duty to the public” (as opposed to investors) as a clear standard for judging “failure to perform”; and 4) states clearly that further privatization of Health Care (our most privatized public good) is not appropriate.

In addition, PWM-NY’s version makes it easier and quicker for local and state Leagues whose by-laws permit it to themselves adopt updates to the LWVUS position by concurrence, so they can use it with local issues and strengthen the rationale for states to adopt it, until it is adopted nationally.

[1] US Privatization Position, p.76 of https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/ImpactOnIssues_2024-FINAL-DIGITAL.pdf

2. Definitions

3. Essential Documents

4. HOW TO HELP: Ways your League can Support this Concurrence

• Including discussion at Convention of Update Concurrence on 2026 Program Planning Survey. Materials to enlist support for putting the discussion of the proposed concurrence in your local (or state) League’s Program Planning Survey: Includes the following 4-items in one file, or separately)
  • short script to enlist local League support,
  • the NY(WPM) position proposed for concurrence,
  • an illustration to help picture how the Update could be incorporated it into the LWVUS position, and
  • the WORDING and PLACEMENT in Survey for Leagues to use in filling out the Program Planning Survey (due March 10, 2026).
• “Going an extra mile,” STEPS for a local League to adopt the NY position by concurrence (for itself)

What new advocacy will this Privatization position update permit?

• What new advocacy have NY Leagues undertaken thanks to their new positions? (also includes suggested targets for advocacy for LWV-VA) pdf/ pptx
• What local issues could your state address if you concur with the updated privatization position?
• What would be the added benefit of a concurrence at the national level?

Concurrence requirements (per LWVUS by-laws)

• Rationale, Why concurrence
• Pros/Cons of Proposed Concurrence
• The 70+ State and Local Leagues that supported consideration of the 2024 version of the Concurrence proposed by LWVVermont

Learn More: [from NY] Context and Studies

• LWVUS signs coalition letter June 2024 citing “fiduciary duty to patients not investors”
  • “Private equity and health care are incompatible”; “health care is undermined by financialized strategies of Private Equity (investors)”
  • Full letter (pdf) Excerpted highlighted passages (pdf)
• Vermont 2023 New Privatization Position: Study Report (download pdf)
• The Privatization of Everything, by D. Cohen & A. Mikaelian, 2021, pp. 1-20 (Intro) 
• CASE STUDY ON DE-PRIVATIZING — THE STATE OF CT TAKES BACK MEDICAID
  • How Connecticut Used Sunlight to Overcome Black Box Costs, Denials, and Fraud, S. Toubman 2019 (Talking Points pdf), full transcript pdf), link )
    • In 2012, Connecticut replaced managed care organizations (MCOs) in its Medicaid program with a program of “managed fee for service” and enhanced care coordination
    • Results were striking: reduced Medicaid spending, better service to patients, and greater participation of physicians.          
• CASE STUDIES OF STATES DE-PRIVATIZING PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGERS–Ohio & Kentucky
  • HCR4US Newsletter July 2025. “Red States Developing Single-Payer Solutions within Health Care”
  • Red States Creating State-run Single-Payer Pharmacy Benefit Managers (w/ no Conflict of Interest), “BIG” substack, M. Stoller, 6 July 2025 

• Concurrence VIDEOS –>
• Frequently Asked Questions FAQs (to be updated)
• Relationship of PWM position (2025) with Vermont (2023)
• Archived 2024 Vermont Privatization Concurrence materials

Need to reach us? Use our “email hotline”: LWV.Update4Convention@gmail.com

Definitions

What is a concurrence? You can check what the League means by “Concurrence” at this Glossary adapted from the 2009 “League Basics”, or with our elaboration of the terms and how they affect our advocacy here.

Public Good; Private Good; Fiduciary Duty;

How to Help

• Bring up the issue for consideration by your League during 2026 Program Planning
  • Advocate for your local League to make Health Care as a Public Good a program priority
  • Encourage your state League to make Health Care as a Public Good a program priority
  • Prepare your local League delegates to vote at Convention FOR the clarification of the LWVUS position on Privatization by concurrence with the New York position.
• Use our local Concurrence “kit” to help your local League go a step further: ADOPT THE NY POSITION ON PRIVATIZATION BY CONCURRENCE
• THEN USE THE NEW POSITION FOR RELEVANT ADVOCACY IN YOUR LOCAL AREA

You may recognize these principles from the 2024 grassroots Program Planning campaign and proposal for LWVUS to update its Privatization Position by ADDing provisions from the 2023 Vermont position to by Concurrence. “

Essential Documents: Proposed Concurrence Statement (and Current LWVUS Position)

• New York Concurrence Statement
• Current LWVUS Position on Privatization
• Other relevant LWVUS positions: Public Participation, Meeting Basic Human Needs
• Link to new LWV-PWM website for Privatization Concurrence
• Video of Nov. 13 Presentation to LWV Virginia Health Care Task Force (w/ J. Esterquest) – rev. 12/24/25

More on WHY: Like the several local Leagues of Women Voters and the state League of New York who have adopted this update by concurrence, we believe that the national position on privatization is not sufficient to support the advocacy needed to protect our health care resources.  We see two major issues preventing us from achieving League priorities:

• The LWVUS position does not include health care as a public good, even though the LWVUS Meeting Basic Human Needs position includes health care as a basic human need for which government should bear the financial responsibility for those unable to afford it themselves,
• The LWVUS position includes suggests implicitly, but is not explicit about what should be done if a private entity providing a public good fails to meet preserve the public good. THE NY POSITION PROVIDES EXPLICITLY for the process of DE-PRIVATIZING the entity or service.
• The NY Position introduces the term “fiduciary responsibility” as a clear standard by which to measure an entity’s efforts to serve patients over profits.

Questions to consider in deciding whether to support the NY’s update:

• Is Health Care a Public Good? Is it a Private Good?
• If for-profit corporations and private equity firms do not deliver on promises to provide equivalent quality health care at lower cost than publicly-funded programs, is it reasonable to continue contracting with them?

Note that, as with the LWVUS position on Privatization, the Vermont study group and the concurring NY Leagues had in mind that the principles governing privatization also applied in other domains, for example, privatized jails, private schools that used public money, and other.

Why concur with the New York position over the Vermont position

After months of study and a consensus meeting, the League of Women Voters of Vermont Board of Directors approved a new position and has been both educating and advocating with it at the local and state levels. However, when LWVVT proposed a national update at the 2024 Convention, there appeared to be insufficient clarity about why it was needed, and the measure was not adopted.

The state and several local Leagues in New York saw law-makers and nonprofit groups in their state taking steps to support, among other initiatives, the current PNHP campaign to “Remove the (private) middlemen from Medicaid.” They felt that the updated Vermont position would serve their needs, but in the process of adopting it, streamlined it to make it easier to explain (and thus support).

Local Leagues are free to adopt their position by concurrence (to address privatization of, for example, local health, energy, or climate initiatives. If state Leagues adopted the update, they could address the Medicaid issue, which new laws are making even more important in every state. However, both Vermont and New York feel they still cannot adequately address another important issue: the privatization of Medicare. Since it is a federal program, advocacy requires a national position. 

For this reason, and also to allow League members across the country to benefit from the work of our study, New York has streamlined the Vermont position and is now proposing a more targeted update to the national privatization position by adding the language of their state position via concurrence, and we are asking for your help in proposing it at the national level.

Videos to help you and your League get our new privatization position on the Convention agenda.

WHY: Learn More: Context and Studies

• Vermont 2023 New Privatization Position: Study Report (download pdf)
• CASE STUDY ON DE-PRIVATIZING — How Connecticut Used Sunlight to Overcome Black Box Costs, Denials, and Fraud, S. Toubman 2019 (Talking Points pdf), full transcript pdf), link )
  • In 2012, Connecticut replaced managed care organizations (MCOs) in its Medicaid program with a program of “managed fee for service.” Enhanced care coordination for all Medicaid recipients became an important part of this program, which has reduced Medicaid spending and provided better service to patients.      
• The Privatization of Everything, by D. Cohen & A. Mikaelian, 2021, pp. 1-20 (Intro)    
• Red States Creating State-run Single-Payer Pharmacy Benefit Managers (w/ no Conflict of Interest), “BIG” substack, M. Stoller, 6 July 2025                 
• Videos on Privatization of Health Care  —
  • PNHP-NY Metro: How Private Equity Makes Us Sicker — 18 Oct 2022
  • CNYH: If we ran fire departments like we run healthcare — 2022 — 2 minutes
  • PNHP: Exposing the Profiteers Behind Medicare Reach — 2023
  • Robert Reich: This One Thing Is Making Your Life More Expensive — 2023 — 5 minutes
  • Dr. Glaucomflecken: The Future of Medicine — 2023 — 2.5 minutes

Please use the linked webform for comments and suggestions, or send an email to the Update-email below.

Please contact us for Concurrence questions and comments: lwv.vt.update@gmail.com 

(Prepared by the LWV Health Care Interest Group on behalf of LWPWM)