Clinics Have Closed, Hospital Beds and Jobs Have Been Cut, and an Erie County Nursing Home Is Slated to Shut Down - With More Cuts Set to Hit Western New York in 2027

BUFFALO, N.Y. - House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) joined Congressman Tim Kennedy (NY-26) at Evergreen Health on Tuesday to mark one year since Republicans in Congress passed the Big, Ugly Bill, enacting the largest healthcare cuts in American history. Leader Jeffries and Congressman Kennedy detailed its mounting toll on Western New York, including coverage losses for 470,000 New Yorkers who relied on the Essential Plan as of July 1, 2026. On top of that, clinics have closed, hospital beds and jobs have been cut, and a local nursing home in southern Erie County is slated to shutter, with additional cuts to Medicaid scheduled to take effect in 2027.

"I stood shoulder-to-shoulder last year with doctors, nurses, union leaders, and healthcare leaders, and we warned what would happen when Republicans in Washington voted to enact the largest healthcare cut in American history in order to pay for permanent tax cuts for the wealthy and well-connected," said Congressman Kennedy. "Clinics have closed, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers have lost coverage, and premiums skyrocketed for those who were lucky enough to keep their insurance. A nursing home in our community is closing, with many more on the brink of financial collapse. As a direct result of these cuts, hospitals have been forced to cut hospital beds and jobs, weakening our healthcare safety net. Republicans own every single one of those losses. When Leader Jeffries is elected Speaker of the House in 2027, canceling the cuts and delivering for families struggling to make ends meet will be our top priority."

"Extreme MAGA Republicans have imposed the largest assault on healthcare in modern American history. Their One Big Ugly Bill included a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid, putting hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers at great risk all across the country," said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08). "Access to high-quality, affordable healthcare must be a right available to every single American. That's what House Democrats are going to work to bring to life here in Western New York and all across the country. Together, thanks to the work of fighters like Rep. Tim Kennedy, we will win back the House of Representatives and do all that is necessary to cancel the cuts, lower the cost and save healthcare."

"The 'Big Ugly Bill' is exactly what its name suggests: a giveaway to the wealthy paid for on the backs of working families," said Senator Jeremy Zellner. "One year later, Americans are already seeing the consequences through higher healthcare costs, reduced access to care, and growing uncertainty, with even deeper Medicaid cuts still on the horizon. Healthcare should never be treated as a bargaining chip. I stand with Congressman Kennedy and Leader Jeffries in demanding these harmful cuts be reversed before even more families lose the care they depend on."

Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera said, "A year after the passage of the so-called 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' Western New Yorkers are already feeling the consequences of Washington's reckless healthcare cuts. These policies have put affordable healthcare further out of reach for working families, seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities who rely on Medicaid and other critical programs to access the care they need. At a time when families are already struggling with rising costs, these cuts have created even greater uncertainty and hardship for our communities. I am grateful to our Democratic leadership in Congress for continuing to shine a light on the real-world impact of these decisions and for their commitment to reversing these harmful cuts. I stand with them in the fight to protect access to care, strengthen our healthcare system, and ensure that every New Yorker can receive quality, affordable healthcare regardless of their income or ZIP code."

"Federal cuts to healthcare funding are devastating our Western New York community, creating job losses, limiting the availability of nursing home beds, eliminating critical care services, and shutting down healthcare facilities. Cuts to healthcare impact every Western New Yorker - whether you need reproductive care, elective surgery, or a place for your elderly loved one. When nursing homes like Jennie B Richmond in Springville, Weinberg Campus in Amherst or Absolut Care of Westfield closed - hundreds of nursing home beds were no longer available in our community. Without these beds, hospital patients must wait longer to be discharged into our long-term care system, creating longer wait times for hospital patients and limiting the list of available facilities where loved ones can be placed within our community. We must work together to cancel federal healthcare cuts and fully fund healthcare because quality healthcare for everyone is at risk," said Grace Bogdanove, 1199SEIU Vice President for WNY Nursing Homes.

"The United Steelworkers stand with Leader Jeffries and Congressman Kennedy as they fight for all working class women and men with their commitment to reversing the devastating effects of this disastrous bill," said David Wasuria, United Steelworkers District 4 Director.

"When women lose access to healthcare, our entire economy feels the impact," said Sheri Scavone, CEO of the Western New York Women's Foundation. "The One Big Beautiful Bill's more than $1 trillion in Medicaid reductions threaten the health and financial stability of the women who make up the majority of our healthcare, retail, hospitality, and caregiving workforce. Medicaid covers more than 40% of births in the United States and nearly half of all children, while 93% of women enrolled in Medicaid are already working, attending school, caring for children or family members, or living with an illness or disability that limits their ability to work. Women also comprise 77% of healthcare workers with direct patient contact and 84% of the long-term care workforce, making these cuts especially damaging to both the people who provide care and those who depend on it.

"The healthcare cuts enacted last year have had real consequences for working families, seniors, and the most vulnerable members of our community," said Erie County Legislator Lawrence Dupre. "Access to quality, affordable healthcare should never be treated as a political bargaining chip, and I appreciate Congressman Kennedy and Leader Jeffries for continuing to fight against these harmful cuts and for standing up for the people who depend on these critical services."

Western New York is already living with the consequences of the Big, Ugly Bill. Buffalo Therapy Services clinics in Amherst and North Tonawanda have closed, along with an outpatient surgery center in Amherst and the Family Planning Clinic on Main Street in Buffalo. Meanwhile, beds have been cut for rehabilitation services, and approximately 150 jobs have been cut at Erie County Medical Center, the region's only Level 1 Trauma Center. In nearby Springville, the Jennie B. Richmond Nursing Home has received state approval to close, putting dozens of caregiving jobs and residents' care at risk.

The damage extends statewide. The Big, Ugly Bill eliminated $7.5 billion in federal funding for New York's Essential Plan, and as of July 1, an estimated 470,000 New Yorkers have lost coverage^[1], faced with the choice of sharply higher premiums or no insurance at all. Beginning in 2027, new Medicaid work requirements will threaten coverage for hundreds of thousands more New Yorkers.

Leader Jeffries and Congressman Kennedy demanded House Republicans cancel these cuts before more clinics, nursing homes, and hospital units are lost, and vowed that a Democratic majority would restore the funding that Republicans transferred to billionaires through permanent tax cuts.

###