5 Critical Issues Facing New Yorkers

1. Over 1 million New Yorkers lack health insurance coverage, and many more are underinsured, facing high and rising out-of-pocket costs.

2. Uneven quality and patient experiences stubbornly persist, but there are not enough clinicians trained to lead quality improvement activities within their health care organizations.

3. 1 in 5 patients require post-acute care after hospitalization, yet they often receive inadequate support for making difficult and stressful decisions that can have long-lasting implications for their recovery.

4. “Social determinants” such as unsafe housing, food insecurity, or unemployment, have a far greater impact on health and well-being than doctor and hospital visits. Yet, these factors are mostly missing from health care conversations.

5. The first 1,000 days of a child’s life, when 85 percent of brain development occurs, are critical. If a young child’s needs are not met during this period, the effects on their health can alter the trajectory of physical and mental health, well into adulthood, as well as educational and economic prospects.

United Hospital Fund’s work is addressing these and other critical issues.

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