[meaghanchan]

I know that it would help me a lot. There are a lot of people who are self-employed, or work for a company that doesn't offer health insurance, who make a decent living... Just not enough to afford insurance. I can't afford insurance right now, and I make a pretty decent wage... but health insurance for me (a healthy single mid 20s woman) would cost nearly as much as my rent does- just for me, no spouse or dependents.

I do think that the amount ($7500 for singles/ $15,000 for families) should be indexed to inflation, and hopefully indexed not just to the CPI, but to some measure of actual health care costs, which are rising way faster than the CPI.

I'm more in favor of plans like those in Massachussets and California- and I'm hoping that New York passes a similar one- but I think this could be a step in the right direction for those who aren't in those states.