May 4, 2017
The U.S. House of Representatives today narrowly passed the American Health Care Act. The following is a statement from New York Health Foundation President and CEO David Sandman on the potential consequences for New York:
“The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been a tremendous success in New York State. Since it was implemented, we’ve cut our uninsured rate in half. Today, only about 5% of New Yorkers are uninsured—a historic low, and the closest we’ve come to having universal coverage. More than 3.5 million New Yorkers have enrolled in coverage through the New York State of Health Marketplace.
Today’s vote to approve the American Health Care Act (AHCA) could undermine those coverage gains and result in a massive loss of funding for the health of New Yorkers. Cuts to Medicaid and the elimination of the Essential Plan could result in more than 1 million New Yorkers losing health insurance coverage and the State losing billions of dollars each year in federal funding.
New York has long been ahead of the curve on covering its residents and protecting people with preexisting conditions. It will strive to honor those commitments, but finding the funds to sustain current levels of health insurance will be a nearly impossible task if the AHCA becomes law.”
About the New York Health Foundation
The New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) is a private, statewide foundation dedicated to improving the health of all New Yorkers, especially the most vulnerable. Find NYHealth on Twitter at @NYHFoundation.
