As a public servant, my mission is to make government work—efficiently, equitably, and in service of all communities. That’s why I find this moment in history to be devastating. We are faced with a U.S. Congress that has chosen to dismantle a critical pillar of our healthcare system to fund tax cuts, which will disrupt years of progress we’ve made to strengthen access to critical health services in neighborhoods across New York City.
The passage of the The One Big Beautiful Bill back in July will have severe consequences for working-class families across the nation, with particularly negative effects in Brooklyn and across New York City. At the state level, the funding cuts are estimated to result in as many as 1.7 million state residents losing their health coverage. At the local level, about 370,000 people living in the five congressional districts that include Brooklyn, and adjacent areas could lose coverage. Since Brooklyn makes up 70% of the population of the five districts, this suggests that a quarter-million Brooklynites risk losing their health insurance coverage due to the federal funding reductions.
In the face of this crisis, we should commend Governor Kathy Hochul for her decisive leadership. Her choice to revert the Essential Plan back to a Basic Health Program is a morally necessary and fiscally responsible step to preserve coverage for as many New Yorkers as possible. The BHP offers low-income residents, including those in Brooklyn, a coverage option that is more affordable than plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace. The governor’s plan ensures continued healthcare coverage for those protected under Aliessa v. Novello, a 2001 New York Appeals Court decision that effectively restored Medicaid eligibility for certain legal immigrants in the state. The plan maintains a lifeline for our most vulnerable neighbors that was cut– providing comprehensive, low-cost coverage while preserving federal funding that supports our public health infrastructure.
In Brooklyn, where MetroPlusHealth serves tens of thousands of families, we know that the impact of these budget cuts will be felt acutely. As the largest health plan payer to NYC Health + Hospitals, we know firsthand how vital stable, affordable coverage is—not only for individual health, but for the sustainability of our public hospital system. NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest municipal hospital system in the nation, relies on consistent funding streams to serve the most vulnerable populations—low-wage workers and a myriad of those who fall through the cracks of traditional coverage models.
In addition to urging Congress to delay these funding reductions, we also ask for funding to be restored for enhanced premium tax credits, which subsidize plans purchased on the Health Plan Marketplace. The loss of these credits is estimated to increase premiums by 38% -- $114 per month for individuals and $228 for a family of four. These credits should not be viewed as optional—they are essential to keeping families covered and communities healthy.
Brooklyn deserves better. New York deserves better. Congress must act now and take decisive steps to safeguard the health and well-being of our communities.
Erin Drinkwater is Chief of Government Relations Officer & Strategic Partnerships for MetroPlusHealth, New York City’s non-profit health plan, serving nearly 700,000 members.
