Governor Hochul’s budget on path to offset devastating Congressional Republican cuts to healthcare, but state leaders must act now to provide critical investments

Western New York - Frontline healthcare workers, employers, faith leaders, and community advocates joined together to call on New York State leaders to fill 2 Billion Dollar gap in healthcare funding to support care and services for New York residents.  

 

Nearly 100 healthcare workers from area hospitals, nursing homes, homecare, and clinics packed a conference room in Governor Hochul’s hometown today, calling on New York State Senate and Assembly to fund healthcare for all New Yorkers. 

 

Healthcare workers represented by major labor unions such as AFSCME, 1199SEIU, CSEA, CWA, NYSNA, PEF, UFCW, Union of American Physicians & Dentists joined Healthcare Education Project and WNY Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO to pressure state leaders to protect healthcare funding for facilities across Western New York. 

 

The Governor’s budget proposal has put New York state on a path to overcome the devastating impacts of HR1. Leaders at the event urged state legislators to strengthen the budget, protecting healthcare for all New Yorkers. State leaders must stabilize NY’s healthcare system by providing critical investments in nursing homes, homecare, hospitals, safety net facilities, and clinics.

 

Caregivers today declared “Code Red” for healthcare services in Western New York after more than 1.8 Trillion dollars in Federal healthcare cuts were passed.  Without state action, historic healthcare cuts in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) that all seven New York Republicans in Congress voted for last year will cause devastating harm to Western New York’s healthcare system.   Healthcare professionals have nicknamed the OBBA the “Big Ugly Bill” as it threatens to rip healthcare away from at least 17 million Americans–including 1.5 million New Yorkers. Nearly 406,000 people in the 8 counties of Western New York rely on Medicaid for their healthcare coverage. 

 

Both Congressional Republican Representatives Claudia Tenney and Nick Langworthy were invited to attend today’s press event.  

 

The joint WNY coalition event today is a continuation of a statewide push to fill a 2 billion hole left by Federal healthcare cuts.  1199SEIU is planning a massive rally later this month in the state capitol.  Thousands of healthcare workers from every corner of the state are expected to descend on Albany March 19 in a massive display of unity to demand New York leaders fund healthcare.  Healthcare jobs and services for the entire state are at risk if Albany does not in the upcoming budget cycle.

 

“Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans' Big Ugly Law has ripped healthcare away from over 12 million Americans and has put further strain on our already struggling healthcare system by cutting over 1 trillion in federal healthcare funding,” said Congressman Tim Kennedy. “We are feeling the impact of those cuts right here in Western New York with the closure of Weinberg Campus and Eastern Niagara Hospital, along with the downsizing of multiple units across Kaleida Health. Congressional Republicans need to do what is right for the American people: cancel the cuts. Working families across the country deserve nothing less than a healthcare system that works for them, and I will continue to fight to restore this funding, protect access to care, and ensure that every Western New Yorker can get the care they need, when they need it,” said Congressman Kennedy.

 

New York State Senator April N.M. Baskin said, “slashing Medicaid by a trillion dollars will hit working class families and children who live at or below the poverty line the hardest, deepening the health disparities we should be working to close. Here in Western New York, where more than 415,000 people rely on Medicaid, we are already seeing the strain with closures and cuts at Kaleida Health. New York must step up to protect vulnerable families and ensure access to care for every community,” said Senator Baskin.

 

“Healthcare is a fundamental right — not a privilege reserved for the wealthy. I stand with 1199SEIU, healthcare workers, and patients in the fight to protect Medicaid from devastating federal cuts that would put New Yorkers’ care at risk. Here in the 61st District, families, seniors, and frontline healthcare workers rely on strong, accessible local services every day. Cuts of this magnitude would put our hospitals, nursing homes, and home care providers at risk, stretching our healthcare system to the breaking point. Together with 1199SEIU and my colleagues in Albany, we will continue to work to safeguard the care our communities rely on,” said New York State Senator Jeremy Zellner. 

 

“Healthcare leaders and union workers have sounded the alarm!  This President’s Big Ugly Bill, with its cuts to Medicaid, will cost lives. We have already seen the impacts—the closures of Eastern Niagara Hospital and the Weinberg Campus, and the cuts in jobs and services at Kaleida Health. This path is not sustainable. Health is the new wealth, and we must do everything we can to protect it. Having barely recovered from COVID, Western New York’s healthcare system is approaching the edge of the proverbial cliff and I implore New York’s Congressional Republicans to break with the President on this issue. I also urge my colleagues in the state legislature to support legislation that will help to minimize the damage the federal cuts are causing,” said New York State Assembly’s Major Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes.

 

“These devastating Medicaid cuts made by the Trump administration will not only harm those who depend on coverage, they will strain our entire healthcare system, driving up costs, increasing wait times, threatening healthcare jobs, and putting lives at risk. New York State has a responsibility to protect patients, support healthcare workers, and ensure that every New Yorker can access the care they need regardless of income or circumstance,” said Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera. 

 

“Our WNY Healthcare system has been underfunded and under resourced for a long time resulting in multiple hospital and nursing home closures, cuts to essential services and layoffs, increasing workloads and stress on already overburdened caregivers. To make matters worse, Congress passed a budget that was signed into law on July 4^th cutting more than a trillion dollars from healthcare to fund huge tax cuts for the wealthy, mass deportations, and big budget increases for the Department of War. Now our WNY healthcare system faces a crisis, a code red that threatens the wellbeing of our community and the health of hundreds of thousands of Western New Yorkers,” said Todd Hobler, 1199SEIU Executive Vice-President Upstate NY.

 

"Shutting down clinics and reducing Medical Rehab Unit beds goes beyond merely cutting services; it hinders recovery, deprives patients of their independence, and places immense pressure on families and an already overwhelmed Healthcare system. It is imperative that New York State fills in the gap that the Federal Government took from this community. Medicaid funding from NYS must ensure these vital services remain open and accessible,” said Cori Gambini, RN and President of CWA Local 1168.

 

“If foster care and adoptive parents are going to continue to take these children into loving homes, they must have the support and assistance of Medicaid and the services that it provides, including critically needed mental health services,” said Shannon Carter, Foster Mom and Community Advocate.

 

"People with disabilities are overlooked all the time. Don’t overlook us by taking away our funding,” Todd Vaarwerk, Voice Buffalo's ARISE Committee.

“Medicaid cuts are directly worsening short staffing in our facilities. When positions go unfilled and workloads grow, patients wait longer, complications increase, and lives are put at risk. We are calling on New York State to increase Medicaid funding in this year’s budget to protect safe staffing and patient care,” said Brian Magner, RN and President of CWA Local 1133. 

 

“When our rural hospitals across Western New York close their doors because of drastic Medicaid cuts it’s not just buildings becoming vacant and going dark - it’s communities and families losing their lifeline to access healthcare and the most vulnerable paying the highest price for in humane political decisions,” said Cheryl Marino, 1199SEIU Administrative Organizer. 

“Home healthcare is one of the most cost-effective investments in our entire healthcare system — it prevents hospitalizations, keeps people out of nursing homes, and preserves dignity and independence. When Medicaid funding is cut, case management shrinks, families are left without support, and preventable hospital visits increase. New York State must increase Medicaid funding in the budget to strengthen home and community-based care before more patients slip through the cracks,” said Tom Antonio, President of CWA Local 1122. 

 

BACKGROUND:

Unless states like New York act to mitigate its impact, the “Big Ugly Bill” will cause tens of thousands of Americans to die annually and force hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes to close, creating longer wait times and higher costs for everyone. New York State and its hospitals alone will be robbed of 13.5 billion a year, risking availability of care and services, and threatening jobs in our community.  Potential service closures will increase distance required to travel for care, as 8 southern tier hospitals are at risk of closure as well as one in four nursing homes. 

 

Service line and facility closures have already impacted the Western New York healthcare system.  In recent years, both Weinberg Campus and Eastern Niagara Hospital have closed because of low Medicaid reimbursement rates. Over the last few months, healthcare employers have cut back on services, closing clinics and downsizing units at Kaleida Health, the largest private employer in Western New York.  Erie County Medical Centerrecently cut more than 150 jobs, preparing for long-term effects of the Big Ugly Bill. 

 

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1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. We represent over 400,000 nurses and caregivers throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.