Cuomo warns New Yorkers to ready for federal health care ‘punch’

over 6 years in NY Daily

Gov. Cuomo warned New York is about to take a “frightening” hit from federal health care cuts - which will get much worse if the revived Republican effort to repeal Obamacare succeeds.

“This is a devastating one-two punch to the state of New York,” Cuomo said at a Manhattan press conference Tuesday.

Under the existing Affordable Care Act, New York is set to lose $2.6 billion in cuts that take effect Oct. 1.

The money goes to hospitals that take care of the uninsured. Cuts to the funds, known as the Disproportionate Share Hospital program, have been delayed by Congress before. New York would take the biggest hit, compared to other big states like California which would lose $1.2 billion.

“It is not too strong to say that this would decimate the public and safety net hospitals in the state of New York,” said Cuomo, who was joined by hospital officials to blast the impending cuts.

But the latest legislation to repeal Obamacare sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham would cost New York far more - $19 billion, the governor estimated.

The bill would repeal all of Obamacare's major programs and replace them with money for states to run their own healthcare programs.

Cuomo said it was designed to punish states that expanded Medicaid.

While proponents say the bill lets “governors have flexibility,” it would break New York’s budget, he said. “If they cut us (by) $19 billion, if I was as flexible as a Gumby doll, we could not fund our healthcare system,” Cuomo said. “It's just mathematically an impossibility.”

Most of the Republicans in the state's Congressional delegation have supported repealing Obamacare.

“I don't know what they're thinking,” Cuomo said. “This will hurt the people of every Congressional district in the state of New York.”

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