As private philanthropies exclusively dedicated to improving the health of New Yorkers, we speak with a unified voice:
The newly passed budget bill will force cuts that will deeply harm the health and well-being of the people we serve for a generation. New Yorkers will be poorer, sicker, and hungrier.
Confronting a loss of $15 billion in funding, estimated impacts include:
- 5 million New Yorkers are expected to lose health insurance coverage because of cuts to Medicaid and the Essential Plan
- New York’s hospitals will lose $800 million annually
- New York’s community health centers will lose $300 million
- New York will lose $1.2 billion in SNAP funding, which 2.8 million New Yorkers rely on to lessen hunger and food insecurity
The numbers are hard to fathom – and the human toll will be devastating. This bill will have a long-term impact on the health care of New Yorkers in every community—rural, urban, and suburban.
Given the scale of these cuts, our philanthropic dollars can’t replace or backfill government funds. But our commitments to our missions are only strengthened by this crisis. We will respond and work in partnership with each other, our grantees and partners, and State policymakers. We will work to defend the health and human services safety net for the benefit of all New Yorkers.
Matthew Kuhlenbeck, President and Chief Executive Officer, Greater Rochester Health Foundation
Nora OBrien-Suric, PhD, President, Health Foundation for Western & Central New York
David Sandman, President and Chief Executive Officer, New York Health Foundation
