NY gets OK to end health coverage for 460,000 due to federal cuts
USA TODAY
New York has gotten permission to undo a health insurance expansion, a move that will end nearly free health care for 460,000 low-income New Yorkers.
New York has gotten permission to undo a health insurance expansion in response to federal funding cuts, a move that will end nearly free health care for 460,000 low-income New Yorkers as of July 1.
The state opted to absorb the cuts by rolling back eligibility for its Essential Plan, a federally funded program that provides coverage with no premiums and some co-pays for almost 1.7 million New Yorkers. Enrollment had jumped after state officials raised the income cutoff in 2024.
Now, they are restoring the original limit, which will disqualify all those who earn more. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the Trump administration's final approval for that change on March 20, blaming federal cuts for the reversal while saying it will protect care for 1.3 million people still enrolled in the Essential Plan.
“Because Republicans used their majority to pass the largest health care cuts in history, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are still facing painful decisions about whether they can afford coverage, and no state can fully backfill these draconian cuts," Hochul said in a statement.
The governor was in Washington, D.C., on March 20 to discuss the Essential Plan and Medicaid with Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Speaking to reporters on Monday, March 23, Hochul said one issue she and her staff are exploring is a potential accommodation for those losing their Essential Plan coverage.
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