Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 13
Trump Funding Cuts Strip 400,000 New Yorkers of Health Insurance
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 13

Trump Funding Cuts Strip 400,000 New Yorkers of Health Insurance

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 13

Summary

  • More than 400,000 New Yorkers have lost low-cost coverage under the state's Essential Plan, leaving many families to drop adult coverage, pay hundreds more a month or seek employer insurance.
  • The losses followed federal funding cuts in Trump's domestic policy law, which narrowed eligibility for some noncitizens and pushed New York to tighten the program's income limits.
  • For a family of four, the earnings cutoff fell to $66,000 from $82,500, shrinking access to a plan that previously charged no monthly premium for many enrollees.
  • New York's Essential Plan, created in 2015 under the Affordable Care Act and largely funded by Washington, had helped drive the state's uninsured rate below 5%; health experts now expect that rate to rise.

Insights

How will New York families afford a sudden jump from zero to hundreds of dollars in monthly health insurance premiums?
Can safety-net hospitals survive the impending surge of uncompensated care as thousands of residents lose their coverage?
What ripple effects will this massive loss of affordable healthcare have on local economies and housing markets?