Rep. Laura Gillen, Assembly Member Solages & Advocates Call Out the GOP Plan to Slash Medicaid Funding for Long Islanders
GARDEN CITY, NY – On Wednesday, Rep. Laura Gillen (NY-04), Assembly Member Michaelle Solages, 1199SEIU and local advocates joined Protect Our Care New York to discuss proposed cuts to Medicaid and call for a bipartisan coalition in Congress to oppose these harsh cuts:
“I’m calling on my colleagues – on both sides of the aisle – to join me in protecting Long Islanders’ access to health care. The proposed cuts to Medicaid would devastate Nassau County, putting over 100,000 of my constituents’ health care in jeopardy and raising health care costs for tens of thousands more,“ said Rep. Gillen. “We need to be working to protect and strengthen access to health care, not ripping it away from the seniors, children, and veterans on Long Island who count on Medicaid to access the life-saving care they need.”
“Medicaid is a vital program that ensures families across New York have access to life-saving care,” said Assembly Member Solages.“At a time when the cost of living is a top concern for New Yorkers, any cuts to Medicaid would have devastating consequences. With inflation driving up everyday expenses, we should be strengthening support for working families, not putting their healthcare at risk. I’m grateful to Congresswoman Laura Gillen and the Protect Our Care coalition for their unwavering advocacy in protecting this essential program and the millions who rely on it”
“I worked in an emergency department during the pandemic and now I work in an operating room,” said Claire Leon, a Valley Stream resident who works as an operating room technician at a Long Island hospital. “I’m here fighting for my patients and the over 700,000 Long Island residents who rely on Medicaid for their healthcare. I’m worried that extremist Republicans will take away healthcare coverage from my patients and my neighbors to give tax cuts to billionaires. We cannot fund tax breaks for the richest Americans and corporations by kicking seniors, people living with disabilities, and children off of Medicaid.”
“New York is on the path of fully funding Medicaid so everyone can access quality and affordable health care,” said Cynthia Ngombe, an advocate from Long Island for the Healthcare Education Project. “But now, Medicaid is under attack by Washington D.C. Federal cuts would slash critical services that keep New Yorkers healthy and our communities safe in areas like maternal health, mental health and the emergency room. All New Yorkers would be impacted—but our Black, Latino and lower-income, including our rural communities, would be hit hardest by Medicaid cuts. Access to quality health care is a right. It’s New Yorkers’ top priority to our state leaders, ahead of housing and taxes.”
CONTACT: Vidhya Jeyadev, 202-669-5538