Just before the July 4th holiday, Congress passed, and President Trump signed a sweeping federal budget that slashes Medicaid funding to states by nearly $800 billion. These deep cuts will have devastating consequences for CSEA retirees and millions of other seniors across the country.
Medicaid isn’t just a health care program for people living in poverty; hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities rely on Medicaid funding to operate. These cuts could lead to staff shortages, reduced services or even facility closures.
In fact, 70 of New York’s 156 hospitals will be at risk of closure. This means that the health care that older adults rely on will be harder to access, and in some places, unavailable.
Nursing homes and long-term care services are at particular risk. Medicaid is the primary source of funding for long-term care. Since 2021, more than a dozen nursing homes have closed across the state, citing low Medicaid reimbursement rates that would only decrease further under this proposal. The result would be more closures, longer waitlists, fewer nursing home beds and reduced in-home services that help seniors remain in their communities.
The consequences don’t stop there. These cuts could also kick seniors off Medicaid and force them to pay out-of-pocket for care. Currently, three out of five nursing home residents have their care paid for by Medicaid. Without that support, many would be forced to forego care or spend down their life savings to cover costs that often exceed $100,000 per year.
With the cost of prescription drugs, groceries and other everyday items on the rise, retirees are already being stretched to their limits. These cuts to Medicaid would weaken the systems that millions of seniors rely on for care, independence and dignity.
CSEA was very active in opposing these cuts. Retiree members in particular worked with our union’s Legislative and Political Action Department on a postcard campaign. The volunteers filled out and addressed the postcards to CSEA retirees who live outside New York. The postcards asked retirees to contact their U.S. senators to urge them to fight back against the proposed federal budget plan. Photos from several locals are on this page.
