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GOVERNOR HOCHUL JOINS U.S. REPRESENTATIVE RITCHIE TORRES TO WARN OF CRIPPLING EFFECTS OF REPUBLICANS’ ‘BIG UGLY BILL’

Estimated Health Impacts of Almost $13 Billion Annually, Paralyzing Our Health Care System

1.5 Million New Yorkers Stripped of Health Care Coverage and Become Uninsured; Projected $8 Billion in Losses for New York’s Hospitals

Governor Kathy Hochul today joined U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres, local elected officials, doctors, and healthcare leaders to warn of the destructive ramifications of President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ “Big Ugly Bill” on New York State.

The cuts imposed by Washington Republicans are expected to have a significant impact, with an anticipated nearly $13 billion affecting New Yorkers healthcare system. Additionally, approximately 1.5 million New Yorkers are projected to lose their health insurance coverage, while over 300,000 households are expected to lose some or all of their SNAP benefits.

“Republicans in Washington are resolute in their determination to inflict irreparable harm to the very programs that save the lives of millions of New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said. “They have one goal in mind: to conceal tax breaks for their wealthy billionaires while simultaneously withdrawing health care and food benefits from families that rely on them. The fight to protect New Yorkers and uphold the very values of our nation is unfolding right now, and I am committed to being at the forefront of this fight every single day.”

Representative Ritchie Torres said, “Donald Trump’s so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is a big ugly nightmare for the Bronx. By gutting Medicaid and SNAP, Republicans have put hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers at risk just to fund tax breaks for billionaires. I’m grateful to Governor Hochul for standing with us in this fight to protect the families who stand to lose the most.”

One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) Impact on NY District 15

• SNAP: There are currently 272,857 individuals across 158,306 households in NY-15 receiving SNAP benefits
• Medicaid: There are currently 512,999 NY-15 Medicaid enrollees; 94,094 of which are estimated to lose Medicaid coverage due to OBBBA changes
• Essential Plan: There are currently 104,400 NY-15 enrollees in the Essential Plan; 12,809 of which are estimated to lose coverage in EP due to OBBBA changes

Essential Plan/Medicaid Cuts Across New York State

Republicans’ cuts to health care and other benefits through the OBBBA will negatively impact all New Yorkers.

These changes will eliminate insurance coverage for millions of New Yorkers, destabilize health insurance programs across the state, and have a substantial fiscal impact on the State and the New York health care system, amounting to nearly $13 billion annually.

The OBBBA will make it challenging for health care providers statewide to continue operating and will make it more difficult for all New Yorkers to access care when needed.

Over two million New Yorkers could lose their current insurance coverage. 

This includes approximately 730,000 lawfully present non-citizens who could lose their Essential Plan (EP) coverage, as over half of the budget for the EP, approximately $7.5 billion in federal funding, is being eliminated. Additionally, a further 1.3 million New Yorkers will lose Medicaid coverage due to new eligibility and verification hurdles.

Out of these 2 million people, 1.5 million New Yorkers are expected to become uninsured.

As a result, uncompensated care costs to hospitals and providers are projected to rise to over $3 billion annually. This means that New Yorkers will have less access to care and will face higher medical bills.

Analysis from the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) and the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) estimates a total $8 billion in annual cuts to New York’s hospitals and health systems, which could force hospitals to curtail critically needed services such as maternity care and psychiatric treatment, not to mention to downsize operations, and even close entirely.

These consequences will not only affect Medicaid enrollees, but also harm everyone who requires hospital care, leading to longer wait times and less access to critical services.

Rural Transformation Fund

The Republican OBBBA also includes $50 billion for rural and community hospitals.

The size and scope of the Rural Transformation Fund — an average of $10 billion annually for five years for rural hospitals nationwide — is wholly inadequate to protect hospitals and health systems when compared to the estimated $8 billion in annual cuts that New York’s hospitals and health systems alone are facing.

Adding insult to injury, these funds will also be awarded on a discretionary basis, meaning there is no guarantee that New York and its nearly 40 critical access and sole community hospitals will benefit.

SNAP and Nutrition Assistance Cuts Statewide

Since the inception of SNAP, the federal government has funded these benefits entirely, receiving bipartisan support from presidents of both parties and in Congress.

For the first time in SNAP’s history, the Republican-enacted law mandates that states contribute to the cost of benefits, or risk ending their SNAP programs entirely. This move jeopardizes a program that nearly three million New Yorkers rely on to put food on the table. As a result, New York and local governments are facing up to $1.4 billion in new costs annually.

This further cuts the federal share of SNAP administrative costs from 50 percent to 25 percent, increasing costs for the State by roughly $36 million annually and for counties and New York City by roughly $168 million annually. Counties will have to incorporate this fiscal hit into their 2026 budgets by this fall.

Additionally, New York State is facing over $900 million in lost SNAP benefits for New Yorkers due to new, more punitive program requirements that will make it harder for people to qualify for the assistance they need:

• The law intentionally imposes unnecessarily administratively complex work requirements on SNAP recipients, which is projected to result in more than 300,000 households losing some or all of their SNAP benefits, devastating low-income families’ grocery budgets. With an average loss of $220 per household per month, New Yorkers are projected to lose more than $800 million of SNAP benefits due to these changes.
• The law further restricts eligibility for legally present noncitizens who have previously been eligible for SNAP, now excluding anyone that does not have legal permanent resident status, Cuban/Haitian status, or Compact of Free Association status. As a result, 41,000 noncitizens in New York State, including individuals granted refugee or asylee status by the federal government, are expected to lose the food assistance they rely on to feed themselves and their families, totaling roughly $108 million in lost SNAP benefits for New Yorkers.

The law also cuts funding for the SNAP-Ed New York Program, which promotes healthy eating and efficient use of already limited SNAP benefits.

This program teaches SNAP beneficiaries how to shop for and cook wholesome, healthy meals on a tight budget. As a result, New York will lose $29 million annually that funded this work by 18 community-based organizations across the entire state. These organizations include Cornell Cooperative Extensions in Albany, Allegany, Erie, Wayne, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, St. Lawrence, Steuben and Suffolk counties.

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, 

“These cuts will have a devastating impact on all New Yorkers, leaving an estimated 1.5 million people in New York uninsured, stripping social and health care safety net services, driving up food insecurity and leaving hospitals to shoulder the burden of increasing health care costs.

These cuts to health care coverage are unprecedented and cruel. The State Department of Health will continue to work with Governor Kathy Hochul, our dedicated hospital systems and state agency partners to take every measure possible to mitigate the impact of this bill.”