(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Governor Kathy Hochul’s budget is on path to offset devastating U.S. Congressional Republican cuts to health care, but State Leaders must act now to provide critical investments, so says a coalition of Front-Line Health Care Workers, employers, Faith Leaders and Community Advocates who joined together to call on State leaders to fill a $2 billion gap in health care funding to support care and services for New York residents.  

Nearly 100 Health Care Workers from Western New York’s Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Homecare and Clinics packed a conference room at 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East in Governor Hochul’s hometown Friday (March 6th) to encourage New York State Senate and Assembly to fund health care for all New Yorkers. 

Many participating in the news conference were represented by major Labor Unions – including the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), 1199 SEIU, the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), the Communication Workers of America (CWA), The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), the Public Employees Federation (PEF), the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW), United University Professions (UUP), the Union of American Physicians & Dentists and the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF). They were joined by representatives of the Healthcare Education Project. 

The Governor’s budget proposal has put New York on a path to overcome the devastating impacts of HR1, said those who spoke at the news conference, who also urged State Legislators to strengthen the budget in order to protect health care for all New Yorkers.

State Leaders must stabilize New York ’s Health Care System by providing critical investments in Nursing Homes, Homecare, Hospitals, Safety Net Facilities and Clinics, they said.

As such, those Caregivers who spoke declared Code Red for health care services in Western New York after more than $1.8 trillion in Federal health care cuts were passed. 

Without State action, historic health care cuts in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) that all seven New York Republicans in Congress voted for last year will cause devastating harm to Western New York’s Health Care System, the speakers said.   

Congressional Republican Representatives Claudia Tenney and Nick Langworthy of Western New York were invited - but did not attend Friday’s event.  

Health Care Professionals across the country have nicknamed the OBBA the Big Ugly Bill as it threatens to rip away health care coverage from at least 17 million Americans - including 1.5 million New Yorkers. 

Nearly 406,000 people in the eight-county Western New York Region rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage. 

A number of area Labor Representatives spoke at the news conference, including:

Todd Hobler - who serves as 1199 SEIU’s Executive Vice-President for Upstate New York, said: “Our Western New York Health Care System has been under-funded and under-resourced for a long time resulting in multiple Hospital and Nursing Home closures, cuts to essential services and layoffs, increasing workloads and stress on already overburdened Caregivers. To make matters worse, Congress passed a budget that was signed into law on (July 4th) cutting more than a trillion dollars from health care to fund huge tax cuts for the wealthy, mass deportations and big budget increases for the Department of War. Now our Western New York Health Care System faces a crisis, a Code Red that threatens the well-being of our community and the health of hundreds of thousands of Western New Yorkers.”

CWA Local 1168 President Cori Gambini (Pictured Above/Photo Courtesy Of 1199 SEIU): "Shutting down clinics and reducing Medical Rehab Unit beds goes beyond merely cutting services. It hinders recovery, deprives patients of their independence and places immense pressure on families and an already overwhelmed Health Care System. It is imperative New York State fills in the gap that the Federal Government took from this community. Medicaid funding from the State must ensure these vital services remain open and accessible.”

CWA Local 1133 President Brian Magner: “Medicaid cuts are directly worsening short staffing in our facilities. When positions go unfilled and workloads grow, patients wait longer, complications increase and lives are put at risk. We are calling on New York State to increase Medicaid funding in this year’s budget to protect safe staffing and patient care.” 

CWA Local 1122 President Tom Antonio: “Home health care is one of the most cost-effective investments in our entire Health Care System - it prevents hospitalizations, keeps people out of Nursing Homes and preserves dignity and independence. When Medicaid funding is cut, case management shrinks, families are left without support and preventable hospital visits increase. New York State must increase Medicaid funding in the budget to strengthen home and community-based care before more patients slip through the cracks.”

1199SEIU is planning a massive rally later this month in Albany as thousands of Health Care Workers from every corner of the State are expected to take part in a massive display of unity on March 19th to demand New York Leaders fund health care. 

If not, health care jobs and services for the entire State are at risk if Albany does not take action in the upcoming budget cycle, those speaking at the news conference said.

To Read This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Coalition Urges State Leaders to Allocate 2 Billion in Healthcare Funding in State Budget to Prevent Further Hospital, Clinic, and Nursing Home Closures :: 1199SEIU