menu_open Columnists
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Protecting Medicaid means protecting NY's communities. Here's how

3 0
24.05.2025

Matthew is a bright, playful seven-year-old who lives with his family in Newburgh, New York, a working-class town in the Hudson Valley. When he was four, he was diagnosed with a rare kidney disorder that requires weekly dialysis treatments at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. His father works full-time at a warehouse shipping center, often pulling double shifts. His mother balances part-time jobs cleaning offices at night and caring for Matthew during the day. Even though both parents work long hours, their combined income barely covers rent, utilities and groceries — let alone the staggering cost of specialty medical care.

Medicaid is what keeps Matthew alive.

While Matthew’s story is hypothetical, it represents the hidden truth behind Medicaid — it’s a program that sustains hard-working families who, despite doing everything right, still need a hand up in the face of life’s unexpected challenges.

The recently passed Congressional budget resolution blueprint proposes $880 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade — a monumental threat to the health and well-being of millions of Americans and to the stability of healthcare systems nationwide.

Medicaid is the bedrock of health security — especially for children, seniors, people with disabilities and rural Americans. These are your neighbors, your children, your grandparents. The fight to protect healthcare coverage is personal, and it is one supported by a strong........

© The Leader