Opinion: I'm a Doctor at a Public Hospital. If We Don't Tax the Rich to Fund Healthcare, Vulnerable New Yorkers Will Likely Die.

"Our state is set to experience the fastest loss of healthcare coverage in its history, with 450,000 New Yorkers poised to lose their Essential Plan coverage in July. I find it deeply fulfilling to work in a public safety-net hospital and believe in New York City Health + Hospitals' mission to provide high-quality healthcare to all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay for services. But brutal federal funding cuts will intensify chronic understaffing and under-resourcing in our hospitals, threatening this mission-and Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposals to replace those lost dollars fail to match the vast scale of the problem."

"Slashed healthcare funding and new work requirements imposed by Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) put 1 million New Yorkers across the state in danger of losing their Medicaid or Essential Plan coverage and dozens of hospitals at risk of closure. Federal cuts will also hit the Managed Care Organization tax and Disproportionate Share Hospital funding. Our state's public healthcare programs need stable, recurring revenue that doesn't rely on a capricious federal government."

"Rather than providing the essential funds to ensure adequate medical care for vulnerable New Yorkers, OBBBA will provide $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and most profitable U.S. corporations, including $12 billion in handouts for New York millionaires alone, plus $75 billion in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding. Our state is set to experience the fastest loss of healthcare coverage in its history, with 450,000 New Yorkers poised to lose their Essential Plan coverage in July."

"I already see the consequences of these cuts at my hospital. More uninsured patients are showing up at our doors. Immigrant New Yorkers, both undocumented a"

450,000 New Yorkers are expected to lose Essential Plan coverage in July, contributing to the fastest loss of healthcare coverage in state history. Federal funding cuts are expected to intensify chronic understaffing and under-resourcing in public hospitals, threatening access to high-quality care for people regardless of immigration status or ability to pay. Medicaid and Essential Plan coverage are placed at risk for 1 million New Yorkers due to slashed healthcare funding and new work requirements. Federal cuts are also expected to reduce Managed Care Organization tax and Disproportionate Share Hospital funding. Proposed federal tax cuts for wealthy Americans and profitable corporations, along with increased ICE funding, are described as failing to provide essential funds for vulnerable New Yorkers.

Read at City Limits