AS THE FALLOUT FROM TRUMP’S DEVASTATING MEDICAID CUTS BEGINS, THREATENING HEALTHCARE FOR THOUSANDS IN THE MOHAWK VALLEY, SCHUMER ANNOUNCES NEW BILL TO REVERSE GOP MEDICAID CUTS – PROTECTING LOCAL HOSPITALS, LOWERING HEALTHCARE COSTS, AND SAVING COUNTY BUDGETS FROM HAVING TO PAY FOR TRUMP’S CUTS

Trump & Congressional Republicans Rushed To Pass Largest Healthcare Cut In History To Fund Tax Breaks For Corporations & Billionaires – And Now Panic Is Setting In For Republicans As Local Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Rural Health Clinics, & Mental Health Providers Could Be Decimated And 1.5 Million New Yorkers Risk Losing Healthcare

Schumer Announces New Legislation – With Frontline Mohawk Valley Doctors & Nurses – To Make Healthcare More Affordable, Reverse GOP Cuts Before More Permanent Damage Is Done, And Extend Healthcare Tax Credits Families Use To Keep Their ACA Premiums Affordable

Schumer: We Must Reverse These Awful GOP Medicaid Cuts And Protect Healthcare For Mohawk Valley & Rural Hospitals Across America 

As the fallout from Trump and the GOP’s devastating Medicaid cuts in their ‘Big Ugly Betrayal’ begins in the Mohawk Valley and over 1.5 million New Yorkers projected to lose healthcare, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced his new legislation – the Protecting Health Care And Lowering Costs Act – to repeal the devastating healthcare cuts and permanently extend the ACA premium tax credits that are set to expire at the end of this year, which if not extended will raise families healthcare costs.

Standing at Mohawk Valley Health System’s Wynn Hospital in Oneida County, where 34% of the population is covered by Medicaid, Schumer explained how these rushed, ill-conceived Trump Medicaid cuts – which were made to fund tax breaks for billionaires – has already caused rural hospitals across America to scramble, announce layoffs with the worst still yet to come, on top of ripping away health coverage for nearly 40,000 in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York, while also increasing ER wait times, increasing out of pocket costs & premiums, reducing medical services, and blowing huge holes in county budgets.

“Trump’s ‘Big, Ugly Betrayal’ is one of the most devastating bills for Mohawk Valley healthcare we’ve ever seen. Nearly 40,000 New Yorkers in the Mohawk Valley and Central NY are expected to lose healthcare, and these cuts will be felt especially hard in our rural areas and communities like Utica, Rome, and Oneida County, where over 34% of our families receive healthcare through Medicaid,” said Senator Schumer. “This is a gut punch to Mohawk Valley healthcare from Wynn Hospital to Rome Health and will hurt so many seniors, families, and children who rely on Medicaid just to survive. Trump is ripping away your healthcare and funding from Mohawk Valley hospitals just to give bigger tax breaks to his billionaire friends, but it doesn’t need to be this way. That’s why I’m announcing a new bill that will repeal all of Trump’s healthcare cuts and extend premium tax credits that Republicans would otherwise let expire in December. The fallout is just beginning from the devastating cuts in this horrible bill, with rural hospitals beginning to announce layoffs, cuts to medical services, higher healthcare costs, longer ER wait times, and more, causing panic to set in for Republicans. We must right this wrong, and Senate Democrats will lead the way to protect our hospitals and make healthcare more affordable.”

Schumer’s new legislation would reverse all of the health care cuts in the “Big, Ugly Betrayal,” including those to Medicaid, and would permanently extend the ACA premium tax credits. The entire Democratic caucus has signed on to co-sponsor the legislation. The full text of the legislation can be seen here. As currently written, the Republican-passed legislation would kick nearly 15 million people across America off their health insurance and total more than one trillion dollars in health care cuts, all to help pay for bigger tax breaks for billionaires.

In the Mohawk Valley, the average couple is expected to pay an increased $270 per month, a 49% increase in healthcare costs – higher than the statewide average – due to the elimination of premium tax credits in Trump’s bill. Senate Democrats are fighting back and pushing to reverse these devastating cuts and extend tax credits to make health care affordable.

The Mohawk Valley Health System, which includes Wynn Hospital, receives approximately $118 million in Medicaid payments annually to treat more than 400,000 patients. MVHS relies on Medicaid funding to provide care, including mental health treatment such as outpatient therapy, psychiatric care, crisis intervention, and supportive housing at its facilities.

“We are very concerned about the impact these changes will have on our community’s health and their access to care since we have a large Medicaid population. Just like all New York State hospitals, our organization will be negatively impacted by the proposed changes to Medicaid. We are examining the impact and identifying how we can address the anticipated cuts to Medicaid and maintain financial stability. We are grateful for Senator Schumer’s leadership in advocating for our community’s health and the healthcare systems that serve them,” said Darlene Stromstad, President/CEO of the Mohawk Valley Health System.

Healthcare facilities across the Mohawk Valley are worried about the impacts of Medicaid cuts on their operations, services, patients, and staff, including:

• Rome Health, which received nearly $20,000,000 in Medicaid payments in 2024 alone to treat 54,000 Medicaid patients, or more than one-third of their total patients, including over 16,000 children and 600 senior citizens.
• Helio Health, which receives 74% of all billable revenue from Medicaid, to treat over 15,000 Medicaid patients, including 660 patients at their Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic in Utica, students at over 20 schools across Central New York, and more than 75% of the patients in their Opioid Treatment Program.
• The Masonic Care Community, which is home to almost 200 Medicaid-dependent senior citizens, representing 70% of total residents at their Skilled Nursing Facility in Utica.

In addition, Schumer said the GOP healthcare cuts will shift the costs of care to local governments, resulting in agonizing decisions with county executives and state legislators forced to decide where to make up for the huge budget hole caused by the staggering loss in federal funding. Counties like Oneida and taxpayers across the Mohawk Valley will be forced to shoulder the burden of increased costs of Medicaid, using more local dollars to manage people’s coverage with less federal funding coming in.

The GOP’s plan to cut Medicaid has already started hit New York State with experts saying this is only the beginning. Earlier this year, Garnet Health laid off 42 employees and cut programs for Hudson Valley patients, citing the disastrous Medicaid cuts in the GOP’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Schumer said this is a dark preview of what is to come now that the GOP has enacted the largest healthcare cut in history to pay for their tax cuts for billionaires and wealthy corporations. The GOP’s Medicaid cuts will force healthcare facilities to cancel services, lay off staff, and rip away healthcare from thousands of seniors and kids. Overall, New York State estimates that the state will lose $13.5 billion because of the new federal healthcare cuts. With Congressional Republicans already panicking about the devastating impact of these unpopular cuts, Schumer is pushing Senate Democrats to lead the way in fixing their mistake to protect healthcare for millions of Americans.

“Medicaid is a vital resource that supports thousands of Utica residents, providing access to essential healthcare services while stabilizing our local healthcare system. Recent cuts to this program could have serious consequences, not just for Medicaid recipients, but for our hospitals, healthcare providers, public safety officials, and even members of our community with private insurance who could face longer wait times and rising costs,” said Utica Mayor Mike Galime. “I thank Senator Schumer for visiting Utica to discuss this important topic. You have always worked to do right by our city, and we appreciate your efforts in Washington to protect high impact government programs that Uticans depend on like Medicaid.”

"New Yorkers deserve more access to quality care, not less. It is imperative we fight the federal cuts to healthcare funding throughout the state. NYSNA nurses in Central New York and all across the state are united in the fight to protect patients and our profession and demand our elected leaders reverse these harmful cuts now. We thank Senator Schumer for his leadership and dedication in the fight to protect patient care," said NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane, RN.

“Senator Schumer’s legislation is an essential step in protecting our hospitals and communities throughout New York. President Trump's cuts to Medicaid spell disaster for New Yorkers, and are yet another example of his devastating assault on workers. Our members provide essential healthcare to patients across the state, including at Arnot Ogden Medical Center and Wynn Hospital in central New York—but they're already stretched too thin, and these cuts endanger the families who rely on hospitals, nursing homes, and community health centers to be there when they need care. CWA District 1 applauds Senator Schumer's efforts to reverse these cuts and make sure that every New Yorker can get the care they need,” said Dennis G. Trainor, Vice President, CWA District 1.

"At Rome Health, more than a third of our patients rely on Medicaid—most of them children. Cuts of this magnitude threaten the financial stability that we have worked so hard to secure to ensure access to care for every patient, regardless of their ability to pay. We are grateful for Senator Schumer’s leadership in fighting to restore this critical funding so that hospitals like ours can continue to serve as a lifeline for our community," said Rome Health President/Chief Executive Officer AnneMarie Czyz, Ed.D., RN.

“The wide scope of services that Upstate Caring Partners provides are part of an integrated system of care underpinned by Medicaid, driven by the efforts of internal resources across the behavioral health, medical, therapeutic, clinical, counseling and special education professions, as well as coordinated with external collaborators including hospitals, school districts, local governments, first responders and a wide array of other community partners. This whole-person centered network of partnerships has been conceptualized and operationalized over the last several years with the deliberate goal of making care for the most vulnerable in our communities readily available at the most cost-efficient point of access in terms of both outcomes and costs. The results have proven impactful, sustainable and cost effective, but they are vulnerable if the Medicaid foundation upon which they are built is dismantled. On behalf of UCP and the communities we serve, I am proud to stand in support of the Senator’s fight to rollback recent Medicaid cuts and protect our healthcare ecosystem here in the Mohawk Valley,” said Dan Crowell, Executive Director, Upstate Caring Partners Foundation.

"The proposed Medicaid cuts would directly impact 70% of our current residents at Masonic Care Community—individuals who depend on Medicaid funding for skilled nursing care. Our skilled nursing facility in Oneida County serves as an essential healthcare resource for families throughout the Mohawk Valley and Central New York. For more than 130 years, we have served families in our community, and we want to continue doing so for future generations. Reduced Medicaid reimbursements would force operational changes, affecting our ability to maintain current service levels and serve both current and future residents who need our care,” said Rob Raffle, Executive Director, Masonic Care Community.

“Over the past decade, repeated Medicare and Medicaid cuts have closed dozens of not-for-profit home health agencies across Upstate New York. As one of the few remaining in Central New York, Nascentia Health has stayed committed to caring for the most vulnerable in our community, even when reimbursement falls short. We deliver specialized services, from pediatric home care to advanced disease-management programs, that many other agencies cannot offer. Further Medicaid cuts could lead to closure and the end of these programs that keep children, older adults, and people with complex needs at home,” said Andrea LaQuay, Chief Clinical Officer, Nascentia Health.

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