‘Tip of the iceberg’: nearly 500,000 New Yorkers lose health insurance due to Trump cuts

Nearly 500,000 moderate-income New Yorkers will be dumped from their health insurance plans on 1 July – the first of major coverage losses expected as a result of HR 1, the Republican-led law signed almost exactly one year ago. The law, sometimes called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” slashed government health spending by $911bn nationally in favor of permanent tax breaks for higher-income families and border security. “It’s an all hands on deck situation,” said Maia Dillane, senior director of strategy and implementation at the Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC), based in New York City, where the bulk of this summer’s coverage losses are expected. The AAFSC is one of 20 community-based organizations working with the Community Service Society of New York to find people new health coverage. But even as community organizations work against a deadline – people have to find new coverage within 60 days or wait until “open enrollment” in November – they expect many simply will not be able to afford the new costs. “We’re seeing a lot of families still going back and forth on whether they can enroll in one of the qualified health plans – or whether they are just going to opt out of the coverage completely,” said Rahem Bader, director of the community health and well-being program at AAFSC. …