Harmony Healthcare, which runs multiple community health centers, including Elmont, has banded together with U.S. Reps. Laura Gillen and Katherine Clark to tackle the impact of federal healthcare cuts and solutions to make healthcare more affordable for Long Islanders.
Healthcare advocates have largely blamed rising healthcare costs on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of July 24, 2025, a massive budget package championed by the Trump administration that took a swipe at Medicaid and health subsidies.
Harmony Healthcare Long Island at Elmont provides primary and specialty medical care at 161 Hempstead Turnpike.
On Oct. 15, Gillen and Clark, a congresswoman from Massachusetts who serves as the House minority whip, visited Harmony Healthcare Long Island’s headquarters, at 400 Oak St. in Garden City, where they discussed some of the most pressing healthcare issues. The event began with an introduction by Stacy C. Jackson Harley, chief operating officer at Harmony Healthcare. The room was filled with over 50 healthcare professionals and advocates.
During the 45-minute meeting, which began at 3:50 p.m., they discussed the expiration of ACA tax credits, rising premiums, Medicaid and Medicare cuts, and the resulting strain on patients and healthcare providers. Clark described restoring tax subsidies and Medicaid funding as priorities, along with measures to address prior authorization, prescription drug access, and 340B protections.
Gillen shared a personal example of how out of control healthcare has become, pointing out that insurance costs at her office have risen from $600 to $1,900 monthly.
Both Gillen and Clark discussed how the uncertainty of temporary protected status, a temporary U.S. immigration benefit that provides protection from deportation and a work permit to eligible foreign nationals already in the United States whose home countries face ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or extraordinary conditions, affects healthcare workers, including Haitian TPS holders and limits providers' ability to serve the community.
David Nemiroff, president and CEO of Harmony Healthcare, discussed the loss of insurance coverage and the affordability of care at the organization. He said changes to New York’s Essential Plan left about 3,000 patients without coverage, with roughly 700 remaining uninsured, including many in Elmont.
“Unfortunately, with the changes to the Affordable Care Act and some of the other essential plan changes here in New York state, some of our patients have lost insurance,” Nemiroff said. “So unfortunately, 25 percent of our patients do not have insurance at all, a good chunk in Elmont.”
He added that his organization provides free or low-cost medications whenever possible. Reduced insurance payments limit resources for hiring doctors and supporting the community, he said.
“What it really does is harm our organization because we go from getting a regular payment to, we charge folks what's called a sliding fee scale,” he said. “And the average self-paying patient is about $25. So, it hurts our ability to support other people and to hire doctors because we just don't have the resources to do it.”
Nemiroff expressed hope that additional funding would be poured into primary care, including more support through grants and action by state legislators and members of Congress to restore cuts to Medicaid. He added that it would help the healthcare system to reinvest in the community and continue caring for patients.
“We produce a lot of money for our communities on a small budget, and we take care of our neighbors, so I'm hoping that both New York state and Congress can work to restore some of the cuts that harm some of our neighbors,” Nemiroff added.
Gillen talked about reversing the damage done by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including restoring Medicaid cuts, which was said to total $1 trillion by the end of December 2026. She added that nearly half a million New Yorkers have lost health insurance, while others face tradeoffs between coverage, medical care, food and utilities.
Gillen stated that economic researchers cite data showing that roughly 60 to 70 percent of American families struggle with the cost of living or lack the income needed for a minimum quality of life.
“It's really about restoring the cuts,” Clark said. “We are going to be seeing at the end of December these Medicaid cuts of a trillion dollars coming out of our healthcare system …And healthcare is the foundation that allows people to get an economic foothold, and so this is going to be a top priority for us as we move forward in Congress.”
