Guest blog by Claudia Calhoon, MPH, Director of Health Advocacy at the New York Immigration Coalition.

A few weeks ago, HCFANY members served on the “Challenges and Opportunities of the Trump Era: Healthcare for Special Populations” panel at the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators’ 46th Annual Legislative Caucus Weekend. Senator Gustavo Rivera facilitated the panel, which included a distinguished selection of labor, health care providers, advocates, and social service providers including: District Council 37’s Henry Garrido, Therese Rodriquez of Apicha Community Health Center, and Wendy Stark of Callen-Lorde Community Health Center.

Claudia Calhoon from the New York Immigration Coalition and Amanda Lugg of African Services Committee represented HCFANY’s Coverage 4 All Campaign. Arline Cruz from Make the Road New York and Juan Pinzon from the Community Service Society spoke on behalf of funding for the Community Health Advocates, New York State’s Health Consumer Assistance Program.

The conversation focused on the ways that drastic federal changes in health and immigration policy will affect health access and coverage for low-income, LGBTQ, and immigrant populations. New York State residents from these groups will be profoundly affected by proposed reductions in federal financing for health care promised by ACA repeal and proposed Medicaid cuts. Increased immigration enforcement activities have recently created paralyzing fear among immigrant communities and have discouraged people from visiting hospitals or sending their children to school.

In particular, the panel focused on the importance of three critical initiatives:

• Enhanced Safety Net Hospital legislation (A9476/S6948A), passed unanimously by both houses in 2016, that would create a new category of safety net hospital that reflects the actual quantity of indigent and low-income care provided and sustains those institutions;
• Expanding coverage to young adults regardless of immigration status by raising the eligibility of the Child Health Plus program to age 29;
• Fully funding the New York State’s Community Health Advocates consumer assistance program so that their sites may continue to distribute information in the face of potential change to healthcare.

In the face of these major changes, New York State has the opportunity to lead the nation by ensuring that its most vulnerable populations can access the full range of health care services from preventive to specialty care when they need them, as well as ensuring that they have the information they need to navigate and use their health coverage. It is also critical to strengthen the financial well-being of public hospitals and federally-qualified health centers across New York State that care for many immigrant and LGBTQ populations.

HCFANY looks forward to working with all its partners to protect health care access and coverage in the face of uncertainty and change on these and other priorities. Organizations interested in signing on to the Coverage 4 All campaign can do so here.