Congressional Democrats blast Trump, Blakeman over newly enacted Essential Plan cuts

Changes to the Essential Plan in New York under last year’s HR1 officially took effect on Wednesday, meaning that some 450,000 New Yorkers have now lost access to the low- to no-cost federally subsidized health insurance they were on. And congressional Democrats are using the opportunity to take aim not only at President Donald Trump for his spending bill, but Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, who has promised to slash Medicaid spending in New York should he win in November. 

In order to avoid the worst outcome for New York Essential Plan enrollees under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that would have left over 1 million New Yorkers in the lurch, the state received a waiver to return to a Basic Health Program  to access billions in a federal trust fund. The waiver enabled continued coverage of the bulk of people using the Essential Plan – including an immigrant population the state is required to provide health insurance to – but it came at the expense of 450,000 New Yorkers who benefited from an expansion of the plan two years ago. Those making between 200% and 250% of the federal poverty line got kicked off the subsidized health insurance on Wednesday. 

As the cuts go into effect, Blakeman is standing firm on his promise to cut Medicaid, which will also see expansive changes in eligibility under HR1 starting next year. Just this week, Blakeman told Fox Business that he would “cut Medicaid in half” to bring it back to a “reasonable number,” reiterating previous comments he’s made about decreasing the state’s sky-high Medicaid costs.

And he’s taking heat from congressional Democrats. Rep. Grace Meng of Queens, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, called HR1 “horrendous” for its cuts to both Medicaid and the Essential Plan. “That Bruce Blakeman wants to increase the suffering is cruel and should disqualify him from any high office,” she said in a statement to City & State. “His policies would also do major damage to our fragile economy, raising costs across the board and taking away lifesaving care from the people who need it most.”

Further north in Westchester, Rep. George Latimer said in a statement to City & State that he warned HR1 would be a “disaster for New Yorkers’ healthcare,” a warning he said is now coming home to roost. “With so many New Yorkers set to lose care, it is unconscionable that Bruce Blakeman is running for Governor on a promise to cut Medicaid even further by half and strip New Yorkers of the care they need to survive,” Latimer said.

Asked for comment on those criticisms, Blakeman defended his plans to reign in the state’s Medicaid spending, which outpaces every other state in the nation. “I’m running for Governor to protect patients and taxpayers by eliminating the fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicaid that costs billions of dollars every year and drives up the cost of living in New York,” Blakeman said in a statement to City & State. “By fixing Hochul’s broken system, we will actually safeguard health coverage for the most vulnerable.” 

While some state lawmakers pushed for greater state action this legislative session to help Essential Plan enrollees who have now lost their coverage, the estimated price tag varied widely. Legislators ultimately left Albany without a solution – for which state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins blamed the governor.

The federal government earlier this year launched a probe into New York’s Medicaid program, and just this week said it would suspend funding for the program’s fraud unit over poor performance. State Medicaid Director Amir Bassiri also testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations as part of Congress’ own investigation into blue state Medicaid programs.