State receives approval to move 1.3 million New Yorkers back to Basic Health Plan insurance

STATEWIDE — GOV. KATHY HOCHUL announced late Friday that the federal government has approved her administration's plan to move eligible New Yorkers back to the original Basic Health Plan, which provides free or low-cost health coverage for 1.3 million residents through the Affordable Care Act.

The approval came after Hochul met with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz on Friday. Roughly 450,000 New Yorkers will lose eligibility for coverage when the state reverts to the Basic plan, due to earnings over the limit.

Currently, the state's Essential Plan provides coverage for 1.7 million low-income residents who do not qualify for Medicaid, but have a higher income than allowed under the Basic Health Plan. However, Congress cut $1 trillion from Medicaid funding over the next ten years, eliminating $7.5 billion in annual support currently provided to New York, according to a New York Focus explainer.

"No state can fully backfill these draconian cuts," Hochul said in a release, vowing to do everything she can to provide coverage to all New Yorkers.

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