Moxie Strategies
2027 NY Session Strategy · Memo

Defending 340B,
together.

To
Novartis
From
Tommy MearaPartner, Moxie Strategies
Situation

The bill that died in 2026 is coming back — better positioned, with fewer obstacles. Stopping it requires a broader coalition, sharper research, and a modern media program. We need to prepare before session begins.

The Assembly held the line in 2026. It won't on its own, in 2027.

The 340B Anti-Discrimination Act passed the Senate at the end of the 2026 session after Sen. Gustavo Rivera forced a last-minute vote. It was never treated as a real two-house bill — and the Assembly held firm thanks to Novartis and the coalition we built.

Speaker Heastie said the bill will not pass his chamber. Chair Amy Paulin said transparency language is needed. Rivera will return with a modified bill aimed at satisfying that objection — and the Assembly may no longer be the backstop. We need a different plan, and we need it now.

Front 01
01

Engage and mobilize.

Keep the coalition active

No comms blackout over the off-season. Regular updates keep allies ready to move in January — not scrambling to reconnect. In 2026 we didn't brief Building Trades until their March conference. We can't afford to let that happen again.

Labor is the key

1199 will push harder as hospitals deploy their strongest ally. Lock in stronger commitments from Building Trades, Laborers, Painters, and Carpenters. Bring in NYSUT and Operating Engineers.

Expand Black community outreach

Build on Sharpton and NAACP momentum. Add The Black Institute, Community Voices Heard, clergy networks. Deliver through URL Media and other trusted outlets in the communities hospitals are targeting too.

Front 02
02

Stop guessing. Let the data lead.

Walking into 2027 still debating which message to use is not an option. We recommend a combination of gold-standard polling and Aimi by Moxie — our AI-driven focus groups — to answer the biggest questions before session begins.

Q1Do we go after hospitals directly?
Q2Do we lead with the CVS case and what it shows about program abuse?
Q3Do we focus on hospital billing practices and what patients actually pay?
Gold-Standard NY Poll

800 respondents · ~18 minutes

A statewide survey of 800 New Yorkers running roughly 18 minutes — long enough to measure baseline support for 340B, retest support after exposure to our messaging, and stress-test opponent attacks. We see what moves voters, what backfires, and where the soft spots are before session begins.

Aimi by Moxie

AI-moderated focus groups

Aimi is Moxie's proprietary research platform. Real people — roughly 25 New York respondents per group, recruited from the segments that matter (legislators' constituents, labor households, Black and Latino communities) — in a live conversation moderated by an AI voice. We get the depth of a traditional focus group in days, not months, and at a fraction of the cost.

Power Map · Amy Paulin

Who actually moves the Health Chair.

A power map is a structured intelligence product. We chart every person, institution, donor, staffer, district leader, clergy member, labor president, and journalist who has real influence over Assembly Health Chair Amy Paulin's thinking on 340B. For each node we capture the relationship to Paulin, their current position on the bill, what they care about, and who can credibly reach them.

The output is a living map of pressure points and trusted messengers we can activate by name when the bill moves — so we're not guessing who to call in January.

Front 04
04

Go beyond traditional earned media.

Opinion pieces continue

Op-eds remain a core tactic — but they can't be the whole earned strategy. We need to evolve to stay ahead of the opposition.

Sponsored content

Through partnerships like URL Media, place content that reads like real journalism in outlets that matter to the audiences we need to move.

Shape the narrative early

Done well, this isn't advertising. It frames the bill through public perception before it ever reaches the floor.

URL Media

A network of multicultural newsrooms.

URL Media is a network of multicultural media sites — including Amsterdam News, Documented, Epicenter NYC, and New York Hispano — with deep credibility in the communities most affected by 340B policy.

How we use it

Underwrite editorial and social content.

Sponsoring editorial and social content through these trusted publications educates and mobilizes authentic voices from the underserved communities most impacted by the legislation — reaching audiences traditional paid media can't.

Investment

What it takes.

Monthly Retainer
Project management, coalition, earned media strategy
$20,000 / mo
Polling + Aimi by Moxie
Gold-standard polls and AI-driven focus groups
$60,000–75,000
Coalition Expansion
New union and community organization onboarding
$40,000
Amy Paulin Power Map
Network mapping and targeted outreach plan
$15,000
Paid Media Program
Targeted contact list and direct ad buys
$250,000

Moxie Strategies is ready to lead. We recommend a working session with the full Novartis team before the end of July to set priorities and timelines.