Statement on Gov. Hochul’s Announcement of $10 Billion Federal Funding to Provide Affordable Health Insurance

 

Recently, Governor Hochul announced that New York State received a final commitment of $10 billion from the federal government through the Federal 1332 State Innovation Waiver to expand the Essential Plan, which will be able to expand affordable health insurance to approximately 1.5 million New Yorkers.

In response, State Senator Gustavo Rivera released the following statement:

“This $10 billion commitment is an important step forward in ensuring that more New Yorkers have access to affordable health insurance, but it doesn't go far enough. Too many vulnerable, low-income New Yorkers are still being left behind, especially our undocumented immigrant communities. I urge Governor Hochul to honor her previous commitment and work with the federal government to amend the 1332 waiver so that we can extend health coverage to all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status. The Coverage for All bill is designed to ensure that no one in our state is left out of the healthcare system and that our state saves money by covering everyone. Health care is a human right, and it's time we treated it as such for every single person in our state.”

Moreover, two months ago, Maryland submitted a request to amend the 1332 Waiver to expand coverage to immigrants that are currently excluded. This follows other states including Nevada, Washington, and Colorado applications to include immigrants in the waiver request. 

The Coverage for All Coalition stated, “This additional funding of $10 billion can help provide additional resources so that more people can get the help they deserve without exorbitant medical debt. However, many vulnerable low-income New Yorkers remain excluded from accessing health insurance and thus better health outcomes because of their immigration status. There is more than enough money available through the waiver to ensure that undocumented immigrants are included. Coverage for All has the potential to bring transformative changes to our communities and save the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.

“We urge Governor Hochul to fulfill her prior commitment of working with the federal government to amend the 1332 waiver in order to expand health care access to immigrant New Yorkers in the 1332 federal waiver and demonstrate her full support to pass the Coverage for All bill. Health care is a fundamental human right and every New Yorker deserves to access health insurance coverage.”