Today, Congress approved a budget bill that is heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law. Although we had hoped that Senators would moderate the devastating cuts to healthcare proposed by their House counterparts, the opposite has happened: This bill cuts over $1 trillion from Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, making it the largest healthcare cut in American history.
The bill’s impacts in New York will be profound and thorough, devastating our healthcare system and economy. A $13.5 billion hole will be left in the state budget, likely forcing New York to make cuts in other areas, such as public safety and education, to offset the losses. Hospitals alone will lose $8 billion in annual funding and 34,000 jobs, which will harm workers and impact services for all patients. Some hospitals may even have to close, threatening not only the health of local communities, but also their economies.
It will harm the health of New Yorkers, with an estimated 1.5 million expected to lose their Medicaid and Affordable Care Act health insurance. It decimates the Essential Plan, New York’s basic marketplace health plan, which provides comprehensive benefits for low-income, working New Yorkers. Many recipients will move to Medicaid, costing New York billions of dollars, and 225,000 legal immigrants will lose coverage entirely and become uninsured. Those who maintain their insurance through the state marketplace could see their premiums rise by 38%, or $2,700 a year, for a couple.
This is a major blow to our hospitals, our workers, and the health and economic prosperity of New York communities. We will continue to fight for affordable, quality healthcare for all.
