Hudson Valley Residents Sound Alarm on Health Care Costs at Nyack Forum
Community members and experts call out the Republican Tax Law’s impact on Medicaid, Essential Plan, and affordability in NY-17
NYACK, NEW YORK — On Thursday night, Hudson Valley residents gathered at the Nyack Center for “Healthcare & Tax Breaks: A Medicaid & Taxes Forum,” a community conversation focused on how the Republican Tax Law is driving up costs and putting health coverage at risk across New York’s 17th Congressional District.
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The forum featured health care and policy experts alongside local voices, breaking down the real-world impact of federal policy changes on Medicaid, the Essential Plan, and household budgets.
Attendees shared personal stories about rising health care costs and concerns about what comes next, reinforcing the need for accountability and action.“The cost of health care in this country is astronomical—one diagnosis can wipe out everything you’ve worked your whole life for,” said Tracey, a cancer survivor and NY-17 constituent who shared her story during Thursday’s forum. “Cancer took my savings, it nearly took my life. Medicaid was a lifeline for my kids and our family. But Congressman Lawler voted to cut critical programs like Medicaid, which could raise costs for Hudson Valley families like mine, all so he can hand out tax breaks to the wealthy. That’s not leadership. Rep. Lawler needs to stop voting to cut Medicaid.”
At the same time, state leaders are grappling with a looming coverage cliff that could force nearly 500,000 New Yorkers off the Essential Plan this year. Locally, the stakes are even clearer: more than 211,500 residents in NY-17 rely on Medicaid for their health care. New Yorkers' health care is being cut to pay for billionaires' tax cuts, and the Republican Tax Law is sticking low-income families with the bill. Working-class households will pay more in taxes for fewer services. “The numbers are staggering: nearly 500,000 New Yorkers are at risk of losing their health care, 28,000 folks right here in NY-17,” said Mark Hannay, Metro NY, Healthcare for All. It means families forced to choose between rent and health care. It means hospitals are under strain. It means a system moving backward. That’s why we’re here tonight, to make sure our communities are heard and to demand better.”
Panelists also underscored the broader economic ripple effects of coverage losses, including increased uncompensated care and strain on hospitals, as well as the risk of destabilizing programs like New York’s Essential Plan, which currently covers 1.6 million residents.
“People here in the Hudson Valley are already feeling squeezed—higher costs, more uncertainty, and now the threat of losing coverage altogether,” said Dr. Pablo Sadler, a local doctor and forum panelist representing the Committee to Protect Health Care. “As a local doctor, these aren’t abstract policy debates. The threat of hospital closures, of folks not getting the care they need, those are real risks. We have to raise the bar. ”
Empire State Voices will continue working with community members, health care providers, and advocates to elevate these stories and push for policies that protect coverage and lower costs for Hudson Valley families.
To learn more about Empire State Voices, contact press@empirestatevoices.org
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About Empire State Voices
Empire State Voices is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. We are fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same.
