Bronx state lawmakers sounded the alarm at a press conference in Albany, warning that proposed federal Medicaid cuts could jeopardize care for more than 1 million New Yorkers and wreak havoc on the state’s healthcare system.
According to the New York State Legislature, the two congressional districts covering most of the Bronx stand to lose more than $1.6 billion in Medicaid funding under former President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts.
“Republicans keep calling their proposed budget the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, but we can see it for what it really is – an ugly and devastating attempt to rip away healthcare from more than one million New Yorkers,” said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.
The proposed federal budget includes a $13.5 billion reduction in Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace funding. These cuts, Heastie warned, would not only leave 1.5 million New Yorkers without health insurance but would also have a catastrophic impact on hospitals and nursing homes statewide.
“Our friends and colleagues in the U.S. Senate must stand against this,” Heastie said, stressing the urgency of the moment. “They cannot allow this administration to put the health and well-being of New Yorkers on the chopping block to give their billionaire donors a tax cut.”
There are more than 900,000 Bronx residents enrolled in Medicaid as of April 2025, according to the New York State Department of Health. Under the proposed changes, new work requirements and increased copays would add an additional burden on many Bronx Medicaid recipients. Shortened enrollment periods for the Affordable Care Act marketplace create an additional hurdle, especially for those with limited free time or internet access.
State legislators warned that hospitals across New York could face an annual loss of $1.3 billion in revenue. Bronx representatives said that Bronx County hospitals could lose $133.4 million annually, potentially resulting in significant job cuts in the healthcare industry, which employs large numbers of Bronxites.
Senate Republicans are mulling over tweaks to the sweeping “The One Big Beautiful Bill” before voting on the controversial budgetary bill. But despite New York Democrats’ demands for actions, the Senate is reportedly poised to pass the bill with minimal changes on track for a July 4 deadline.
