Hochul Offers Hookers Free Healthcare

Last fall, a Gallup poll asked Americans about the importance of various issues to their voting choices in the 2022 midterm elections. When asked about the importance of a candidate’s “plan to reduce the cost of healthcare services,” 87% of American voters rated the issue as either “very important” or “somewhat important” to their respective vote choices.

Given the significance of the cost of healthcare in the lives of voters, it is reasonable to assume that many New Yorkers would jump at the chance to receive healthcare that cost them nothing—no fees, no premiums, no copays, no deductibles, and no tax hikes. A new pilot program recently unveiled by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) promises to do just that, but only for one small subset of the Empire State’s population: Prostitutes.

The New York Post reports that under the leadership of Gov. Kathy Hochul, NYSDOH has awarded two contractors a combined total of $1 million over the next two years to conduct what it refers to as a “‘sex worker health pilot program.’” The program will provide prostitutes in New York City and western New York with “primary, sexual and behavioral health care, as well as dental care” through the NYSDOH AIDS Institute.

Conservative lawmakers are aghast. Asm. Sam Pirozzolo (R-Staten Island) asked, “‘What are they going to have, a prostitution card? This is a 100 percent step in the direction to decriminalize prostitution.’” Asm. Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) asserted that “‘the majority in Albany is once again pushing the boundaries of what should be normal and acceptable in our society. Prostitution in our state has increased crime and violence in our communities and decreased the quality of life for residents across Western New York. The way in which this program is being forced onto New Yorkers is nothing short of undemocratic. This new initiative by the governor is wildly irresponsible and will only encourage more prostitution within our state.’” Asm. David DiPietro (R-East Aurora) correctly argued that it is unfair for the government to provide free health care to prostitutes when that benefit is not offered to other New Yorkers.

This move follows a report that the Hochul administration has created a pilot program to fund additional health care workers to serve “transgender” patients.