WNY HEALTHCARE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK.

Earlier this year, Western New York Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO President Peter De Jesús Jr. wrote that Langworthy and Tenney "sold out Western New York" when they voted for H.R. 1—what the President absurdly called the "big, beautiful bill" (OBBA) to conceal the cuts to working families buried within.

"It's a full-blown attack on the working people of Western New York, and Langworthy and Tenney are directly responsible for the damage that's about to hit our communities." Senator Kirsten Gillibrand added, "This bill includes the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in history, and it puts the future of our state's critical rural hospitals in jeopardy."

The Center for Medicare Advocacy observed that this law "makes unprecedented cuts to critical safety-net programs." According to the Center for American Progress, OBBA will increase the number of Americans without health coverage in every state and congressional district.

The Congressional Budget Office determined that OBBA will leave 10 million more people uninsured by 2034—including more than 24,000 people in Langworthy's district and 26,000 in Tenney's. If the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits are not extended past 2025, CBO estimates the uninsured will increase by more than 14 million.

Americans with employer-sponsored insurance are facing the largest premium increases in 15 years, while those with Affordable Care Act marketplace plans are bracing for the steepest increases since 2018. Kaiser Family Foundation projects that net marketplace premiums will rise by an average of 75%.

Across New York state, approximately 1.4 million people will lose coverage. Locally, tens of thousands will be left uninsured due to higher premiums and stricter rules. Families caring for disabled relatives and lower-income individuals face impossible choices between food and needed healthcare. Nursing homes will also feel the strain.

According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, eight hospitals at risk of closure—the most of any district in the state—are in Langworthy's 23rd district, including hospitals in Cuba, Dunkirk, Elmira, Hornell, Olean, and Springville. Limits on compensation for uninsured care, restrictions on safety net hospital funding, elimination of Medicaid rate increases, and limits on provider taxes that fund care for high-cost patients will threaten essential services in WNY.

Tenney and Langworthy voted to rip away access to high-quality healthcare from thousands of our neighbors. Care will be more expensive and less available, and many will have to make hard choices between their basic needs and healthcare.

Just before Christmas, Speaker Mike Johnson and the majority of House Republicans blocked Democrats’ efforts to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies. Four Republicans partnered with Democrats to try to force a vote, through what is called a discharge petition.

Johnson adjourned the House of Representatives til after the New Year rather than allowing the vote.

References

Aizuss, David H., MD., et al. “One Big Beautiful Bill Act: The impact on physicians and patients.” https://www.ama-assn.org/member-benefits/events/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-impact-physicians-and-patients

De Jesus, Jr., Peter. “Langworthy and Tenney Just Sold Out Western New York.” https://wnyalf.org/news/big-beautiful-bill-bs

Eisner, Emily and Michael Kinnucan. New York Hospitals will Close Under “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” Fiscal Policy Institute. https://fiscalpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025.06.27-hospital-closures-FINAL.pdf

Hochul, Kathy. “By the Numbers: The Republican ‘Big Ugly Bill’ Would Have Devastating Impacts on New York Health Care Providers, Patients, Employees, and Communities.” https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/numbers-republican-big-ugly-bill-would-have-devastating-impacts-new-york-health-care-providers

KFF.org. “Health Provisions in the 2025 Federal Budget Reconciliation Law.” https://www.kff.org/medicaid/health-provisions-in-the-2025-federal-budget-reconciliation-law/