STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries came together Sunday to raise awareness about “the detrimental effects of several healthcare provisions” in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The bill passed through the House of Representatives on May 22 in a narrow 215-214 vote.
It covers a variety of sectors, from national security to taxes.
Chief among the topic of discussion surrounding the bill, though, were the modifications to healthcare provisions impacting everyday Americans.
The bill calls for almost $700 billion to be cut from Medicaid spending. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a government-run outfit, said that in 2023 Medicaid spending amounted to $871.7 billion.
“Republicans in Washington have made it abundantly clear that they are determined to dismantle the social safety net that millions of New Yorkers rely on to secure their basic necessities,” Gov. Hochul said in a written statement. “They are specifically targeting essential and life-saving programs such as Medicaid and food stamps with the consequence that everyday Americans will bear the brunt of this attack. I am committed to utilizing litigation and other appropriate tools to safeguard and protect New Yorkers.”
The bill will alter the eligibility requirements that Americans will need to meet in order to qualify for Medicaid as well.
Should the bill pass into law, novel “community engagement requirements” will be enacted. That means, should an able-bodied citizen without dependents want Medicaid, they will need to prove that they spend, at minimum, 80 hours each month at work, working on education, or being of service.
“We also included key provisions to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicaid program so tax dollars go to protect our seniors, disabled, and the most vulnerable citizens who rely on it,” said Staten Island and South Brooklyn Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who voted against the first iteration of the bill.
Medicaid recipients will also need to prove their eligibility biannually instead of annually.
In a preliminary assessment, these changes, according to the Congressional Budget Office, would effectively eliminate 8.6 million people from receiving Medicaid over the course of the next 10 years.
“It was an honor to join Governor Kathy Hochul at Interfaith Medical Center in Central Brooklyn today, and I am thankful for her leadership, strength and presence on behalf of the people of New York. Across our great state, millions rely on Medicaid for life-saving and life-sustaining healthcare. Under Trump’s One Big Ugly Bill, 1.5 million New Yorkers would lose their insurance as part of a toxic scheme to enact massive tax cuts for billionaires like Elon Musk. Nursing homes will close, hospitals will shut down and Community Health Centers will lose funding. House Republicans from New York were nothing more than a rubber stamp for Trump’s reckless and extreme agenda, voting to strip healthcare from their constituents. We must keep the pressure on and continue to use every tool at our disposal to ensure that the One Big Ugly Bill is buried deep in the ground, never to rise again,” Jeffries said in the statement.
Those who receive healthcare from Planned Parenthood while on Medicaid will also suffer, as the bill seeks to “prohibit Medicaid funds” from reaching the institution, said the Associated Press.
Democrats and Republicans have been sparring over the bill since before it passed through the House of Representatives.
The next step on the bill’s way to law is to make it through the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority.
The Associated Press contributed to this piece.