Rep. Laura Gillen, Health Advocates and Nassau County Residents Spotlight Health Care Cost-of-Living Crisis on Long Island During Roundtable Discussion

FREEPORT, NY - Last week, Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) hosted a roundtable discussion at Meadowbrook Care Center in Freeport focused on the rising cost of health care and its impact on Long Island seniors and families amid devastating GOP cuts to care:

The discussion brought together key community health leaders, including Meadowbrook Care Center owners Shimi and Jonathan Pelman, AHRC Nassau CEO Stanfort Perry and Hempstead resident Nicola B., who shared her firsthand experience facing the outrageous cost of health care.

"Too many Long Islanders are finding that keeping up with insurance premiums, copays, deductibles and other health costs is squeezing out their ability to pay for other necessities," said Rep. Gillen. "This crisis affects Americans from every walk of life and addressing it should be a bipartisan priority. I'm fighting to lower costs and am ready to work with anyone who wants to do the same."

Rep. Gillen also highlighted the importance of extending the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits, which help more than 140,000 New Yorkers afford health care. Nassau County families could see their insurance bills more than double if Republicans refuse to negotiate a bipartisan extension.

"A couple of weeks ago, I went to the emergency room," Hempstead resident Nicola B. recounted. "When I received the bill, it was $3,000 and because I recently lost my job, I didn't have coverage. I can't afford to get sick. It's a big issue for us."

"The ripple effect [of cutting Medicaid] is enormous to the entire system of care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities," said AHRC Nassau CEO Stanfort Perry."There are 15,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities on Long Island. When you cut their only lifeline, you immediately throw the entire system in disarray."

"There are 600+ long-term care facilities in New York State," said Meadowbrook Care Center Owner Shimi Pelman. "80% of residents in nursing homes [are on] Medicaid. And if you keep cutting Medicaid, many of these facilities will close."

Rep. Gillen is a cosponsor of the Health Care Affordability Act of 2025 (H.R. 247) and has made lowering health care costs and protecting Medicaid key priorities in Congress. She will continue to advocate for bipartisan solutions that strengthen access to health care and ease the cost-of-living on Long Island families.