Tenney’s vote in favor of Medicaid Cuts would harm hospitals, nursing homes, and the very constituents she is sworn to serve

27,000 residents in Tenney’s district would lose their health coverage

 

Rochester, NY – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s (NY-24) cold hearted response after voting to approve Medicaid cuts, does not bode well with constituents in her district. Last evening, Tenney took to the airwaves^[1] to spread falsehoods about the impact of Medicaid cuts on those in her district. But Tenney’s facts were lacking during the interview. The bill she supported will hurt people in her district, the very people who elected her. 

Making cuts to an already broken healthcare system will drive up prices, costing millions of dollars in losses to healthcare systems who rely on reimbursements from all health insurance types to keep doors open. 

“These cuts will cause healthcare to become unaffordable for a large portion of her constituency. It’s going to impact people in nursing homes who rely on Medicaid coverage to stay there, creating a burden to their families. If fewer Medicaid beds were available in our area, it would be difficult for families to take care of loved-ones in their homes.  Some residents require acute levels of care that can not be provided in the home,” said Cindy Carestio, retired Hospice Nurse. 

Medicaid provides critically needed healthcare coverage for nearly 80 million people–including close to 40% of children in the United States. Seven million New Yorkers, including nearly half of the state’s children, half of all people with disabilities, and the majority of nursing home residents rely on Medicaid. In addition, 46% of all pregnant women in New York have their births covered by Medicaid. In Tenney’s district alone 202,200^[2] people rely on Medicaid as their primary health insurance coverage. Of those, nearly 63,000 are children and 21,000 are senior citizens.

In Congresswoman Tenney’s district, Medicaid and Medicare patients make up 73% of all people admitted to hospitals, 60% of all outpatient provided care, and 57% of patient service revenue in this district comes from Medicaid and Medicare.^[3]

“It feels like she has forgotten that Medicaid funds our educational system by providing resources to the kids who need them. Without these resources, jobs will be lost. Kids will be failed by the educational system. We are forcing our community to be put in a position where we have to choose who is worthy of a healthy stable life, and who isn’t including my very own children who rely on critical services to thrive,” said Shayna Rinas, of Medina.

Tenney's district has a total of 37 nursing homes and 13 hospitals, 7 of which are safety net hospitals.  A safety net hospital provides 35% or more of care to patients who rely on Medicaid^[4].  

The House budget represents a massive and appalling giveaway to billionaires at the expense of poor children, seniors, people with disabilities, working families and their healthcare. Medicaid has clear income guidelines, and denying millions access to essential medical treatment is disgraceful.  New York Republicans shamefully reneged on their promises to their constituents to protect Medicaid, instead voting for the largest cut in history—an unprecedented $900 billion, while increasing the deficit.

The devastation of this budget extends even beyond Medicaid to the Affordable Care Act funding, benefiting millions of New Yorkers.  If the Senate does not reverse these cuts, nearly 1.5 million New Yorkers would lose health coverage and $13.5 billion would be gutted from our state’s healthcare system and economy, devastating hospitals and nursing homes in Tenney’s district. 

In Tenney’s district alone, more than 27,000 people would lose their Medicaid coverage with a fiscal loss of $263 million dollars.  Hospitals in Tenney’s district would lose more than $31 million dollars which could force hospitals and nursing homes to close. 

Hospitals, nursing homes, and home care providers throughout Tenney’s district would face insurmountable financial challenges, leading to reductions in services, loss of healthcare jobs, and longer wait times for critical life sustaining patient care. 

Tenney’s clear disregard for hospitals, nursing homes, homecare, outpatient and community-based services will not only impact those on Medicaid, but also those with other health insurance.  Families will face new bureaucratic hurdles just to maintain the benefits they are entitled to and many will lose access to vital healthcare services.

New York faces the loss of 72,000 health care jobs.^[5]  These devastating cuts come at a time when most hospitals and nursing homes are experiencing staffing issues because of the multi-year pandemic. These drastic cuts will disrupt care and programs essential for health and productivity of those who rely on Medicaid.

Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and the states, and Americans across party lines overwhelmingly disapprove of cuts to Medicaid. Deep Medicaid cuts would have a devastating impact on state budgets, forcing state leaders to make impossible choices regarding cuts to vital services. 

Representative Claudia Tenney must listen to constituents, get facts and clearly understand this is not just a bill.  Any cuts to Medicaid impact everyone in her district that she is sworn to serve. People who may be effected by these cuts are urged to contact any one of Tenney’s four local offices in Lockport, Watertown, Canandaigua, or Oswego. 

 

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1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in New York and nationwide. We represent over 450,000 members throughout New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, D.C.  Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.

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^[1] “The pain will be felt by everyone,” debate over Medicaid cuts heats up - WHEC.com
^[2] Map: Medicaid Enrollment by Eligibility Group | KFF
^[3]https://www.hanys.org/government_affairs/community_benefit/?action=view_report&type=congressional&id=24
^[4] Safety Net Definition
^[5] Medicaid, SNAP Cuts Could Trigger Job Loss, Less State Revenue | Commonwealth Fund