Per the notice below, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) is highlighting the effects of the federal budget bill on health care in New York State.

New York State Department of Health Estimates the House-Passed Bill Could Strip Coverage from up to 1.5 Million New Yorkers

Department Highlights Concerns Over Federal Budget Bill's Devastating Impact on Health Coverage

Following the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of the Budget Reconciliation Bill, the New York State Department of Health warns that the reductions to Medicaid funding could jeopardize access to care for millions of New Yorkers.

"This legislation threatens the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said.  "On the 60th anniversary of Medicaid, a program that has uplifted generations of families, we are witnessing an unprecedented rollback of health care access.  Cuts of this magnitude threaten to destabilize our entire health care system and will directly harm working families, children, seniors and people with disabilities.  These are not just numbers on a page, these are lives at stake."

Medicaid currently provides essential health coverage to nearly 7 million New Yorkers, including children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income families.  The Department noted that the funding cuts would make it significantly harder to maintain critical services for the state's most vulnerable residents.  The Department estimates that the House-passed bill could strip coverage from up to 1.5 million New Yorkers.

"As we mark Medicaid's 60th anniversary, we should be celebrating this transformative program that provides essential healthcare coverage to nearly 7 million New Yorkers," NYS Department of Health Medicaid Director Amir Bassiri said.  "Instead, we are now facing the biggest cut in the program's history that will strip coverage from up to 1.5 million New Yorkers, resulting in at least $3 billion annually in uncompensated costs for our hospitals and health centers, and communities to make accessing care harder, not easier."

"Fifteen years ago, the Affordable Care Act represented another historic leap forward in health care access, and NY State of Health has been at the forefront of that progress.  Through our online marketplace we've offered streamlined, one-stop shopping for New Yorkers to enroll in public and commercial health coverage, expanded access to affordable coverage options, enabling the state to maintain an uninsured rate below 5 percent—achievements we should be building on, not tearing down," NY State of Health Executive Director Danielle Holahan said.

The Department will work to mitigate the devastating impacts of this bill and will continue to update New Yorkers on the changes that will be made to their health coverage as a result of this bill here: https://info.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/stay-connected.