A group of constituents visited the Bay Ridge district office of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) on May 1 to deliver more than 80 handwritten letters urging her to protect Medicaid Expansion, which provides health coverage to thousands of New Yorkers in the 11th Congressional District.
The letters were collected at a recent town hall meeting, which the Congresswoman did not attend, according to a press release.
Members of Indivisible Brooklyn, a volunteer organization dedicated to promoting civic participation and engagement in the fight for justice, sustainability and equality, said they were forced to find ways to make their concerns heard as Malliotakis has never hosted or participated in a town hall.
“We really need the Congresswoman to know that a very large number of her constituents are on Medicaid, including those who are not in her ‘protected’ class," said Carol Smolenski, a Bay Ridge resident.
While some moderate House Republicans have pledged to preserve Medicaid for groups such as the elderly, people with disabilities and pregnant women, advocates point out that this excludes the 58,000 residents of NY-11 who receive health coverage through Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act.
Medicaid Expansion, created by the 2010 ACA, broadened eligibility to include low-income adults who don’t qualify under traditional Medicaid but earn too little to afford private insurance. The program now covers roughly 2.6 million people in New York State.
When the group arrived at Malliotakis’ office, they found the door locked. Staff eventually admitted three constituents to deliver the letters in person.
“They took the letters but didn’t seem terribly happy about it,” said Garnett Losak, a 20-year resident of Bay Ridge.
Wendy Ryan, another local resident, emphasized the broader community impact.
“Medicaid and programs like it are essential to this community – to my neighbors, my friends, and the tens of thousands of Malliotakis's constituents that rely on them to live with dignity and security,” said Ryan.
