The Lie:
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is misleading the public when he claims New York’s Medicaid expenditures are “mind-boggling.” He makes this claim because New York spends more than Florida and Texas (but NY has fewer uninsured people).
Why You May Believe the Lie:
Even though over 1.5 million New Yorkers will lose healthcare coverage when Republican federal cuts to Medicaid kick in January 2027, Blakeman claims that these cuts will merely eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, and that the State should be making even deeper healthcare cuts.
The Truth:
- NYS expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in 2014, offering broader services than Florida and Texas, which did not expand Medicaid. This resulted in fewer uninsured individuals in NY (7% compared to 16-22% in Florida and Texas) ensuring better access to preventive care and reducing long-term healthcare costs.
- Republican healthcare cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA) threaten NY’s hospital system, and vital services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the homeless and mentally ill. Blakeman wants to deepen those cuts.
- In July 2025, Medicaid covered 9 million New Yorkers, roughly 35% of the state. But Republicans in Congress passed a law in 2025 that will cut over 1.5 million New Yorkers from healthcare coverage, starting in January 2027, and will result in the loss of $8 billion annually from NY hospitals and providers, eliminating nearly 63,000 jobs. This could force hospitals to curtail critical services such as maternity care and psychiatric treatment, to downsize operations, or close, putting $14.4 billion in economic activities at risk. Emergency services will be overwhelmed by the uninsured seeking care.
- The same legislation that is cutting Medicaid, failed to renew the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which subsidize premiums for vulnerable New Yorkers and those purchasing private insurance through the New York State of Health marketplace.
- Additionally, around 140,000 low-income couples in Nassau County with state-purchased private insurance are looking at a potential 28% monthly increase resulting in yearly increases of over $2,000.
Action You Can Take:
- Share this post on your social media and via email and discuss it with your friends.
- Get informed by reading The Deceived Nation report: America’s Changing Healthcare System
- Contact Blakeman and let him know how these cuts affect you at: nassaucountyny.gov/481/County-Executive, or 516-571-6000 or 516-571-3131 – prompt 5, then “other.”
Source & Additional Media:
● Long Island Life & Politics, “Blakeman, Hochul Spar over Medicaid” by Hank Russell, February 28, 2026
● Zou, J. (2025, July 9). “Congress Passed Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ Gutting New York’s Safety Net. Now What?” NY Focus.
● Kinnucan, M. (2025, July 25) “The State is Understating Threats to NYS Medicaid After OBBBA.” Fiscal Policy Institute.
● NYSAC. (2025, July). “One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA: Impact On New York Counties”
● GNYHA; HANYS. (June 2025) “Catastrophic Losses Across Nys: 63,000+ Jobs, $14.4 Billion In Economic Activity At Risk.”
● OASH Health People 2040. “Access to Primary Care.” Retrieved February 3, 2026.
● Kacik, a. (2025, August 18).” Looming uninsured surge may overwhelm ERs. Here’s who can help.” Connecticut Hospital Association.
● pmc.ncbi/ PubMed Central, “The One Big Beautiful Bill: A Looming Crisis for Health Equity and Emergency Medicine” by Melanie Yates and Peter Yun, December 20, 2025.
● NY State of Health, “Press Release: Governor Hochul Unveils New Data Showing Massive Increases To New Yorkers’ Monthly Health Insurance Premiums If GOP’s Big “Ugly” Reconciliation Bill Becomes Law” June 9, 2025
