Calls for healthcare coverage for everyone regardless of immigration status
New Yorkers are calling on Governor Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to ensure everyone has healthcare coverage regardless of their immigration status.
Dozens of immigrant New Yorkers with the Coverage for all Coalition rallied and marched outside the Capital in Albany today.
The coalition claims Governor Hochul backtracked on a commitment made in 2022 to spend federal dollars to expand health coverage to undocumented immigrants.
Community members and organizations are now asking lawmakers and the Governor to include the “Coverage for All” bill in this year's state budget.
According to the coalition, the bill would cover an estimated 245 thousand uninsured people statewide and save hundreds of millions of dollars that are spent on Emergency Medicaid.
"Not only does the state see over 500 million dollars in savings" said Make The Road New York Representative Arline Cruz "but they can use federal funding for this, there's no cost to the state so there's absolutely no reason why this year we cant expand health insurance coverage to undocumented New Yorker's."
At the end of the rally, members dropped off medicine bottles to the Governor's office detailing the importance on expanding health care coverage to everyone, including undocumented immigrants.
