Posted on November 2, 2015 by Dan Goldberg in Politico New York Politico New York, By Dan Goldberg New York City health commissioner Mary Bassett pushed back on the idea that lifestyle choices are the cause of poor health in minority communities. Bassett told bigthink.com that the problem is low-income New Yorkers have no choice, and suggestions that lifestyle choices are a cause of poor health outcomes is a way of papering over racial problems.