Legislative Alert: May 19, 2025

President's Message

Federal Healthcare Cuts Will Hurt Every Community in New York State

New York is facing a healthcare and budgetary disaster brought on by the federal budget process, despite months of public resistance and an education campaign targeting key representatives in Congress that explains the catastrophic negative impacts of the proposals in detail. As part of the reconciliation process to create "one big beautiful bill", the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees have proposed cuts that will eliminate or reduce healthcare options for more than one million New Yorkers enrolled in Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Without health coverage, new mothers will accrue crippling debt through childbirth; parents will not be able to afford to bring their children in for doctor appointments and hospital visits. People fighting opioid use disorder will lose their support systems as programs shutter. The closure of hospitals and nursing homes will leave thousands of seniors without access to care. Hundreds of thousands of health care workers will lose their jobs. New York State will face more than $11 billion in losses from these proposed federal cuts, leading to fewer resources for important public services including education, transportation, and public safety. All of this will lead to job losses in the healthcare sector, exacerbating the hospital and nursing home cuts, closures and staffing problems that are already pushing our system past the brink. We will all suffer.

Given the magnitude of the proposed cuts in federal funding, the State will have little choice but to increase state and local taxes and revenue; shift funds away from other important programs; and make drastic cuts in healthcare eligibility, financing, and benefits. More than half of the Essential Plan funding would be slashed, threatening the future of the program and the coverage of up to 1.2 million New Yorkers who rely on the Essential Plan or Medicaid coverage. We cannot afford this further strain on our healthcare system or the resulting widespread impacts across local economies.

Mario Cilento, President

Upcoming Meeting 

LABOR LOBBYISTS MEETING
Monday, May 19, 2025, 1:00 p.m. 
This event will be located at the Albany office of the NYS AFL-CIO,
100 South Swan St. Albany, NY.
NYS Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon will be the guest speaker. 
This meeting is for labor representatives only.

NURSE ISSUES MEETING 
Monday, May 19, 2025, 2:00 p.m.  
This event will be located at the Albany office of the NYS AFL-CIO, 
100 South Swan St. Albany, NY. 
This meeting is for labor representatives only.

TAYLOR LAW & PENSION TASK FORCE MEETING 
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 1:00 p.m.  
This event will be located at the Albany office of the NYS AFL-CIO, 
100 South Swan St. Albany, NY. 
This meeting is for labor representatives only.

For further information contact Mike Neidl at 518-436-8516 or by email [email protected]