Albany, NY – Health Care for All New York (HCFANY), a statewide coalition of over 170 consumer advocacy organizations, expressed great dismay at the passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA). Despite unprecedented opposition from constituents, House Republicans voted to take health care away from 2.7 million New Yorkers, abandon Americans with pre-existing conditions to hopelessly underfunded “high-risk” rationing pools, slash Medicaid, and raise health care costs for all families by up to 20 percent.

The passage of the AHCA threatens the high quality affordable health coverage offered to millions of New Yorkers through the New York State of Health marketplace, including the Essential Plan, individual commercial plans and Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act allowed 3.6 million New Yorkers to get health insurance by revitalizing New York’s individual market, increasing the number of people eligible for Medicaid, and creating the Essential Plan. The Medicaid program provides affordable care to six million New Yorkers who cannot afford private insurance. Over a third of the New Yorkers covered by Medicaid are children, while most of the spending on the program provides care to the elderly and people with disabilities. The AHCA’s cap on Medicaid will mean devastating cuts for New York’s most vulnerable.

We thank the New York Democratic delegation and, critically, Representatives Donovan and Katko for their courageous stand for New Yorkers against enormous political pressure.

We condemn the votes of Representatives Collins, Faso, King, Reed, Stefanik, Tenney, and Zeldin for failing to defend the health needs of hundreds of thousands of their constituents who have gained coverage under the ACA.

Downloads

• AHCA Vote Press Release 5.4.17