Friday, July 18, 2025
Once again, our health care system is facing a serious threat. The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” recently approved by the House of Representatives and now pending in the U.S. Senate, threatens to dismantle Medicaid and essential health programs that millions of New Yorkers rely on.
Behind the bill’s catchy name lies a dangerous reality that would leave almost 1.5 million New Yorkers uninsured and create severe financial strain on hospitals and communities across our state. Given the massive amount of federal taxes hardworking residents send to Washington every year, we deserve better than this ill-conceived plan, which takes more taxes from our citizens than it returns in services.
In New York, we’ve worked hard to ensure that affordable health care reaches as many people as possible. The NYS Essential Plan helps hundreds of thousands of lower-income residents — those who earn too much to use Medicaid but still can’t afford private insurance — get reliable coverage. The proposed federal bill, however, would strip an estimated $7.5 billion in federal tax credits from the Essential Plan, forcing some 224,000 people off their current health insurance.
Investing in health care makes fiscal sense, because healthier communities mean lower emergency-room costs, fewer missed workdays and stronger local economies. But forcing the state to shoulder this alone is economically short-sighted. New York faces a staggering $13.5 billion gap in health care funding if the bill becomes law. That shortfall isn’t just numbers on a page — it represents hospitals struggling to stay open, health care workers losing jobs and families losing vital services. Our hospitals alone could see losses of $3 billion annually, a financial blow that many facilities simply couldn’t withstand. Specifically, hospitals in Nassau County are facing an $82.2 million cut, and hospitals in Suffolk County, $70.1 million.
Our state fiscal experts have summed it up clearly: Replacing $13.5 billion in lost federal support would be virtually impossible without severe cuts. If this bill passes, our State Legislature would face the heartbreaking reality of reducing and eliminating health care benefits, services and jobs. These aren’t choices anyone wants to make.
In an effort to clarify what Medicaid is and to better understand why it is so expensive, it should be noted that federal law requires states to provide specific mandatory benefits, while permitting additional services if they opt to do so. Mandatory benefits are the most costly, and include things such as emergency services; inpatient and outpatient hospital care; direct physician care; residential nursing homes; certified pediatric or family nurse practitioner services; laboratory and X-ray services; home health care; and freestanding birth centers.
Examples of optional services are hospice care; dentures and other dental coverage; chiropractic care; physical therapy; vision care and eyeglasses; and auditory services.
Make no mistake about it, the cuts being finalized in the Senate would allow the federal government to continue collecting our tax dollars, and continue mandating costly services, while slashing the funding states need to provide the most expensive Medicaid services. New York already subsidizes several other states’ Medicaid costs, because our incomes are higher than those in other states that have widespread poverty and low wages. New Yorkers have been paying more than our federal fair share for Medicaid. To expect us to pay even more by absorbing the shockwaves of irresponsible and politically charged federal budgeting is a completely unacceptable and unreasonable proposition for the hardworking taxpayers of Long Island and the rest of the state.
We cannot let misleading political arguments divide us. This bill would harm families, essential workers, pregnant women, children, the elderly and disabled, and legal immigrants. These are our friends, neighbors and coworkers — people who deserve dignity, care and compassion, not political scapegoating.
Now more than ever, it is essential that our senators resist this harmful bill. We must advocate relentlessly to protect Medicaid, the Essential Plan, and health care access for all New Yorkers. Health care isn’t something we can play politics with — it’s a fundamental right and a critical investment in our state’s future.
The federal government should not prevent access to health care for our most vulnerable in order to provide a tax break to billionaires. Our communities thrive when everyone feels safe and has that care. Let’s ensure that every New Yorker can access the health care they need. Our shared health, economic strength and community well-being depend on it.
Judy Griffin is the NYS Assemblywoman representing the 21st District.
