Healthcare
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Ensuring that every family in the Hudson Valley has access to affordable, high-quality healthcare has been one of my top priorities in Congress. Despite my efforts to be clear about where I stand, there has been some confusion about my position on these issues. So I want to set the record straight and show the work I’m doing on behalf of our community, even when that means breaking with my own party.
Whether it’s fighting to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, securing over $1.2 billion for New York’s healthcare system, or helping deliver more than $2 billion in FEMA reimbursements for New York’s COVID-related healthcare costs, I’ve always prioritized delivering real results for the people I represent. Below you can see the work I’m doing to protect healthcare access and affordability for Hudson Valley families. Delivering for New YorkProtecting healthcare access isn’t just about speeches, it’s about results. I worked directly with the Administration to fix New York’s Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax issue, bringing $1.2 billion back to New York to stabilize our healthcare system, protect providers, and ensure continued access to care for families who rely on Medicaid. As reported by lohud, local healthcare leaders credited this extension to my efforts after I lobbied Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to keep this critical funding stream in place for New York. My efforts included inviting Administrator Oz to the Hudson Valley for a substantive policy roundtable with community members. Another huge win for our state was the release of Over $2 Billion in long-delayed FEMA Funds for New York. This money had been delayed under the Biden administration during COVID-19, leaving hospitals and local governments waiting years for reimbursement of eligible pandemic-related expenses. These funds were promised to New Yorkers years ago, and I along with my Republican New York colleagues pushed FEMA to cut through the delays and finally release this long-overdue funding. New York stepped up during COVID. Our hospitals stepped up during the darkest days of the pandemic. Local governments stepped up. Taxpayers stepped up. They should not have been forced to wait years for reimbursement because of delays in Washington. This is what effective oversight looks like. We identified the problem, pressed for answers, and delivered results. On Premium Affordability and ACA tax credits Last year, I helped introduce bipartisan legislation to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. We worked on a commonsense solution to enact meaningful reforms to the program while ensuring those that rely on enhanced credits could still access them. After my own party leadership refusing to move a bipartisan bill, I signed a discharge petition to force a vote on a clean 3-year extension of the credits. Healthcare affordability is not a political issue; it is a governing responsibility. Watch my full remarks from the debate on that discharge petition HERE. While we passed this bill in the House, the Senate never took up the measure. In an interview with PBS NewsHour, I said that the crux of the issue came down to the need for discussions about reform while also addressing the fact that the ACA still hasn’t delivered on its core promises. The truth is that healthcare costs in this country are out of control, and both parties must confront the ACA’s shortcomings 15 years after its passage. Premiums have gone up, access challenges remain, and families are still struggling under rising costs. But first and foremost, we must provide stability for families in the short term. During an interview with CNN, I said that addressing expiring subsidies in the immediate term is critical to limiting premium hikes that would hit working- and middle-class families hard, and both parties understand the stakes. I continue to urge my colleagues in both parties to find bipartisan compromise to healthcare affordability for all Americans. As I told NPR in November of 2025, these temporary subsidies were created during COVID to support families during a crisis, not as a permanent fix to the cost of healthcare. There's the longer conversation we need to have about how we actually reduce health care costs in America. Protecting Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security From the beginning, I have made clear that while Congress urgently needs to confront the national debt, I strongly oppose any cuts to vital programs that serve our most vulnerable, like Social Security and Medicare. I will also always ensure Medicaid benefits are protected for those who rely on them, especially our seniors and individuals with disabilities. That’s exactly what I told NPR in July of last year. My objective has always been to sustain these programs for the long term for those who need them and are eligible for them. Strengthening Medicaid isn’t just about defending it rhetorically, it’s about making sure New York receives the funding it is owed and ensuring the system remains stable and accessible. That commitment has also meant speaking up when proposals risk going too far. As reported by Fox News, I raised concerns that certain provisions in the bill could become a “hornet’s nest” if they threatened healthcare access for constituents. During negotiations over the House reconciliation package, I warned colleagues against provisions that could jeopardize access to care and made clear that protecting Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations must remain a priority. This includes stopping Medicaid reimbursements from transitioning to a block grant system instead of basing funding on actual costs. I also was a leader against lowering the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) floor, or the minimum percentage of federal reimbursement. I also pushed back against site neutral provisions and potential changes to how the federal governments reimburse hospitals for uncompensated costs. A Bipartisan Path Forward Longer term, we need a serious bipartisan effort to fix what’s broken. Not repeal-and-replace, but a focus and commitment to making healthcare affordable and workable for the American people. The only way we get there is by Democrats and Republicans working together in good faith to forge a bipartisan solution. My focus has always been the same: protecting New Yorkers, governing responsibly, and delivering real, bipartisan solutions to the problems facing working and middle-class Hudson Valley families. That means keeping the government open, preventing premium increases, protecting Social Security and Medicare, strengthening Medicaid, and making our healthcare system affordable for everyone. Some of the legislation I’ve introduced or co-sponsored to make healthcare more affordable can be found below: Affordability & Access: Provider & Workforce Expansion:
Reproductive & Maternal Health: Seniors & Medicare Coverage:
Veterans & Military Health:
Chronic Disease & Prevention: Mental Health & Youth: |