Member’s Resource – It’s Official! Governor Hochul Signs NYTHA Trainer’s Health Insurance Bill

To our Members,

We are proud to affirm that the bill to establish a Trainer’s Health Insurance Program was signed into law late last week by Governor Kathy Hochul.

NYTHA initially proposed this legislation in the 2020 session. For the past two years we have worked hard to communicate the importance of – and benefits to – the Thoroughbred racing industry of Trainer’s Health Insurance to our elected officials, and our efforts paid off.

The Program:

Any NYSGC-licensed Trainer who competes on the NYRA circuit and meets both of the following criteria over the calendar year of 2021 will be eligible to enroll in the Program – at no cost – beginning January 1, 2022:

• Minimum of 43 NYRA (Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga) starts in total; &
• Minimum of 60% of all starts in a year must be at NYRA tracks.

Going forward, on January 1^st of each new year, accumulated starts made in the previous calendar year will be the basis for the qualifying criteria.

For example, a Trainer will need to meet the same qualifying criteria above in 2022 to qualify for Trainer’s Health Insurance in 2023, and so on.

There are still details of the NY Trainer’s Health Insurance Program that need to be worked on and we have begun the process to have everything finalized in due time. We will keep our Trainer Members advised as details are confirmed.

Our office has compiled year-to-date start stats for our Trainers, and I have begun contacting our Trainer Members to make them aware of the eligibility requirements and assisting them in staying on-pace to qualify for the Program.

New York is the greatest place to race, and we will continue to work on programs to assist all our Members, Owners and Trainers alike.

If you have any questions, or have any suggestions for other programs to benefit the industry, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Kathy

Membership Services Coordinator
Mobile: 516-309-2334
Email: klocke@nytha.com