More than a million New Yorkers could soon find out they\u2019re being kicked off their health insurance plan as state officials untangle the impacts of Washington\u2019s new tax policy bill.<\/p>\n
New York already spends a significantly higher amount on health care than the national average. Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s office is assessing how the state could make up for the losses.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n After learning President Donald Trump\u2019s so-called \u201cBig, Beautiful Bill\u201d will likely eliminate health insurance for over 1.5 million New Yorkers,\u00a0Hochul\u00a0is figuring out a Plan B.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could not have foreseen that at the time the budget was done,\u201d the governor said during an Albany-based press conference on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at our efficiencies. What savings can we find to try and address that shortfall?\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The changes mean at least 1.4 million people living within the five boroughs will get kicked off their insurance, according to an estimate from the Citizens Budget Commission.<\/p>\n They\u2019re covered under a program called the Essential Plan that includes legal non-U.S. citizens, but the state will now have to foot the bill.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we have is really a complex set of changes to health care that are both going to reduce federal funding to the state, they\u2019re going to increase state costs, they will leave more New Yorkers uninsured and strain the state\u2019s hospital system over the next few years,\u201d Ana\u00a0Champeny, vice president for research\u00a0at the Citizens Budget Commission, said.<\/p>\n Acting NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse told NY1 in a statement\u00a0that at least half of the over 8 million people living within the five boroughs\u00a0that could be affected are Medicaid recipients.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Medicaid was created in the 1960s, New York City residents made up 25 percent of the country\u2019s enrollees within two years of its launch. Today, half of the city\u2019s residents are on Medicaid,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is one of our most important anti-poverty programs and ensures access to life-saving health care for millions of New Yorkers. As we assess the impact of the bill, there is no question that the federal cuts to Medicaid will be bad for our city\u2019s health,\u201d Morse continued.<\/p>\n New York state\u2019s budget director says the fiscal hits will be felt starting Jan. 1 and estimated to cost billions in Medicaid spending.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are projecting roughly $750 million in impact in the current fiscal year as a result of that. We see at least $3 billion required of state spending into the next fiscal year as well,\u201d Blake Washington, director of the Division of Budget, said.<\/p>\n Cutting $10 billion in federal funding brings New York\u2019s total loss and new estimated costs to over $13 billion.<\/p>\n Elected officials are sounding the alarm.<\/p>\n\n