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). 

The PWM Privatization Update is a shortened version of the Vermont Privatization position (2023); it uses language from the Vermont text but focuses on making four elements of the national position more explicit so state and local Leagues can advocate more effectively, confident that they are aligned with national League  policy in addressing an accelerating trend: i.e.,

the siphoning of public funding (taxes) into corporate profits and away from critical services aimed “to preserve the common good, to protect national or local security or to meet the needs of the most vulnerable members of society.”[1]

In addition, HCR4US encourages local and state Leagues whose by-laws permit it to themselves adopt the new update to the position by concurrence so they can use it with local issues.

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

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

Table of Contents

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; Health Care Middlemen; Current De-Privatizing at the state level; private equity;

How to Help

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)

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:

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

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.

June 5 Pre-Convention “CAUCUS” Educational Session — video available here.

with Betty Keller, chair of the LWVVT Privatization Study Committee.

Link to it on HCR Interest Group YouTube Channel. Powerpoint with notes pdf here.

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WHY: Learn More: Context and Studies

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Why do we need an update to the position on privatization? Isn’t the LWVUS current position adequate? Go to Answer A1

Q2. Why does Vermont consider the topic of privatization is so important in health care? Go to Answer A2...

Q3. Do you propose that the Vermont update replace the LWVUS position? No. Read more…

Q4. Is the proposed update intended to add to the LWVUS Health Care position (under Social Policy)? or the Privatization position under “Representative Government? Go to Answer A4.

Q5. Is it your position that there should be no private options available at all? Go to Answer A5.

Q6. Without definitions, and descriptions of the process for taking control of currently and historically private health services, would we be inadvertently manipulated into supporting a move that was unintended? Go to Answer 6

Q7.  What are the criteria for “failing to deliver”? Go to Answer 7.

Seeking your comments – Pro or Con

We are open to your input–please. For example, the Pros and Cons document (linked above) still feels stilted to some members of the Update Committee; the “cons” especially do not feel authentic. So we are looking for people who do not agree with adopting the new position more broadly to send us their opinions.

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)

Health Care Reform for the US