CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN LEADS SPEAK OUT WITH HUDSON VALLEY HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY ON HARMFUL IMPACTS OF TRUMP’S HEALTH CARE CUTS

Congressman Pat Ryan Leads Speak Out With Hudson Valley Health Care Community on Harmful Impacts of Trump's Health Care Cuts

Trump's federal cuts are kicking 17 million Americans off their health care, sparking a massive increase to folks' insurance premiums, and threatening to close countless hospitals nationwide

Last week it was announced that 450,000 New Yorkers would lose their health insurance next year - a number expected to grow significantly in the coming months; 8,094 people will lose coverage in Orange County, 5,198 in Dutchess County, and 3,724 in Ulster County

The Speak Out was held at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown - which in June announced that - due to federal funding cuts - they were laying off 42 employees and downgrading their trauma center

MIDDLETOWN, NY - Today, Congressman Pat Ryan joined local leaders in the health care community at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown for a Community Speak Out against harmful health care cuts by the Trump Administration directly impacting the folks they serve in the Hudson Valley.

Speakers included hospital leaders, health care providers, and community advocates who raised concerns about 1) Medicaid cuts - impacting up to 1 in 3 Hudson Valley residents, including more than 75,000 kids; 2) impending premium increases - which could jack up insurance bills for Hudson Valley couples by nearly $1,000 yearly; and 3) the existential threat to hospitals and health centers - forcing firings, closures, and care reductions across the community.

The Speak Out was held at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown, which, in June, announced that due to federal funding they were laying off 42 staff members and downgrading their trauma center.

"These health care cuts are already hitting our community, and tragically the devastation will impact everyone - kicking kids, seniors, and hard-working families off their Essential Plan; driving up health insurance costs for everyone; and forcing closures and cuts at all of our Hudson Valley hospitals and clinics. These are burdens that our community simply cannot afford. And you don't have to take my word for it," said Congressman Pat Ryan."Today I proudly stood with healthcare leaders and workers on the frontline of this battle. They outlined the devastating impacts of Trump's cuts on hardworking folks - up to 1 in 3 in our community - who will lose their health insurance. People who rely on the ACA will see their premiums skyrocket, with an average Hudson Valley couple facing a $1,000 yearly increase. We're already seeing the effects on our hospitals, too - the very medical center where we gathered today laid off dozens of people in June and downgraded their trauma center. But we are not powerless. We fought to stop this bill because we knew the devastation it would cause - now our fight is against these harms on the ground, wherever and whenever they arise. I will never stop listening to and elevating your stories - and I'll never stop fighting for you, for your health, and for our entire community."

"These cuts will have devastating consequences for patients and hospitals across our state. New York hospitals are expected to cover a projected $1.7 billion in uncompensated care when an estimated 1.2 million New Yorkers become uninsured due to these cuts. This is why we need to continue raising awareness, building support, in the hope we can have all or part of these cuts reversed," said Jonathan Schiller, President and CEO, Garnet Health.

"The recent Medicaid cuts jeopardize the health and stability of families who already face the steepest barriers to care," said David Jolly, President and CEO of Cornerstone Family Healthcare. "For more than 50 years, Cornerstone has stood as a safety net for our neighbors, and these cuts threaten to pull that net away at the very moment it is needed most. We are calling on policymakers to protect the critical funding that ensures children, seniors, and working families can continue to access affordable, high-quality healthcare in their own communities. We are especially grateful to Congressman Pat Ryan for his continued advocacy and leadership in defending access to care for the most vulnerable in the Hudson Valley."

"Medicaid is health insurance for people with disabilities, aging adults and those with low income levels, and Medicaid-funded programs and services, including those supported through New York's waiver programs, make it possible for people with disabilities to live independently in their communities," said Doug Hovey, CEO of Independent Living, Inc., an independent living center serving seven counties in the mid-Hudson Region. "While we stand with many other agencies and providers who will be negatively impacted by HR1's cuts to New York's Medicaid funding, I want to highlight the particularly heavy impact these reductions will have on people with disabilities and the community-based providers who support them. Without this critically important health insurance and access to services delivered in the community, individuals risk losing the supports they need to remain at home, engaged, and contributing members of their communities. These cuts will hurt everyone, and we join Representative Ryan in calling on Congress to reverse them. Protecting Medicaid is not only the right thing to do, it also makes sound fiscal sense. Every Medicaid dollar spent on community-based services strengthens local economies and sustains the health and human services systems on which so many depend. The best way to honor that commitment is to ensure these services remain fully funded for all who rely on them."

"Medicaid is not just a safety net-it is the infrastructure that sustains our social services and healthcare systems," said Michele McKeon, Chief Operating Officer of RECAP."Proposed cuts would destabilize providers, reduce access to critical behavioral health and preventive care, and ultimately would be devastating to critical care agencies, like RECAP. Protecting Medicaid ensures fiscal responsibility and healthier communities. Every day at RECAP, we see how Medicaid allows parents to get well, children to thrive, and seniors to live with dignity. If these cuts move forward, it's not numbers on a page that suffer-it's real families in our neighborhoods. We cannot afford to turn our backs on them. Medicaid is the backbone of care for thousands of families in Orange County."

"The Trump Administration is on the attack against health care for everyday Americans. In the big ugly bill, cuts were made to Medicaid and subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. These cuts will force hospitals to close or curtail services due to losing over $8 billion in direct aid and another $3 billion in uncompensated treatment. There are 1.5 million New Yorkers, including children, now at risk of losing their health insurance. Three million are at risk of higher costs due to the reduction in Affordable Care Act subsidies. These cuts were made to give huge tax cuts to the ultra-rich. Restoration of these cuts must be a priority in the next Federal budget," said Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson (D-104).

Congressman Ryan was an early, strong critic of President Trump domestic spending agenda - calling it a "Big, Ugly Betrayal" of the American people. Trump's agenda rips health care coverage away from more than 17 million Americans, is set to cause a massive hike in insurance premiums for millions, and has already closed, significantly reduced services, or forced mass layoffs at countless hospitals nationwide.

###