As President Barack Obama continues to scan the countryside touting his health-care reform package, hurting New Yorkers struck gold recently with Gov. David Paterson signing into law last week three Governor’s Program bills that are crafted to make health insurance more affordable and improve access to health care for those in the state.

As heavy hitters in the insurance industry spoke out against Obama’s proposal, which, for the first time, would require every American to be insured, no critics should step forward with the bills that were signed, sealed and delivered by Paterson.

“By enhancing access to group health insurance, these reforms will make health insurance more affordable for everyday New Yorkers. More than 2.5 million of our residents do not have health insurance, partly because of the high cost of coverage,” he said. “We must take the necessary steps to improve our broken health care system. By making insurance coverage more accessible, we bring people into the system before they need emergency treatment, reducing the overall cost of health care to the State.”

Let’s break down the bills.

The first would expand COBRA or the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act for employees to 36 months - increasing the period for employees who lose their jobs to continue their health insurance under COBRA from 18 to 36 months.

Under COBRA, workers who lose their jobs can continue purchasing group health insurance provided by their former employers’ group health plans for limited periods of time under certain circumstances for themselves and their families.

The second bill is crafted to insure dependents through the age of 29. This law, outlined by the governor in his State of the State address, requires insurers to allow unmarried children through age 29 – regardless of financial dependence – to be covered under a parent’s group health insurance policy.

Young adults ages 19 to 29 represent 31 percent of uninsured New Yorkers. They often become ineligible for coverage under their parents’ policies at age 19 or upon high school or college graduation, find themselves in entry-level jobs that do not provide employer-based health insurance, and cannot afford to pay premiums for individual insurance policies – which are much more expensive than group policies. Under the new law, premiums will be paid for by families, not employers, and would cost less because coverage is under group policies rather than individual policies. The law also requires insurers to offer employers an option to purchase coverage that includes young adults as dependents in family policies through age 29.

And the third bill is built to manage care reform by implementing reforms that help consumers receive the care they need and cut some of the red tape that results in inappropriately delayed or denied claims.

According to the governor’s office, some of the protections that will benefit consumers under the proposal include prohibiting insurers from treating an in-network provider as out-of-network simply because the referring provider was out-of-network; and extending current protections for consumers in HMOs to consumers in “HMO look-alike” plans – health plans that operate the same as HMOs but are not licensed as HMOs, such as “exclusive provider organizations” or EPOs.

These are tough times - not just for Black New Yorkers, but for all.

And, as the economy sputters back into shape those New Yorkers, who are unemployed or for the ones who may be facing the chance of getting a pink slip will not have to worry – at least for now – on taking care of themselves.

“At a time where medical costs are constantly rising, availability and affordability of health insurance is paramount,” said Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes. “As prime sponsor of the COBRA bill, I would like to applaud Gov. Paterson for answering the needs of New Yorkers. Access to primary care has been a major priority in my district's agenda and expanding the age to 29 for young adults will help them obtain and maintain much- needed healthcare coverage.”

Paterson’s new law will allow New Yorkers who lose their jobs to extend their health insurance coverage for an extended period of time, which is particularly important in the current economy with its record high level of unemployment.

And for that, we are grateful.