ALBANY, N.Y. (WXXI News & AP) - Gov. Andrew Cuomo says more than 2.7 million New Yorkers could lose insurance coverage if the Affordable Care Act is repealed.
The Democrat released that figure on Wednesday. His office says counties around the state would lose $600 million in federal funding and the state budget would take a $3.7 billion hit if Republicans in Congress and President-elect Donald Trump dismantle the law.
Cuomo says the cost of repealing the law is "simply too high to justify."
He says that under President Barack Obama's landmark law the state's health exchange has cut the percentage of uninsured New Yorkers from 10 percent to 5 percent.
Hospitals in the Rochester region are saying they oppose a repeal of the Affordable Care Act without an immediate plan to replace it. Travis Heider, president and CEO of the Rochester Regional Health Care Advocates, says a repeal could cost hospitals in the area $1.4 billion over the next ten years.
"The financial implication of a repeal without meaningful replacement is huge. Certainly for the whole country but particularly for our region," Heider told WXXI News.
The New York state Department of Health also released a statement about potential impacts of a repeal. It estimates 2.7 million New Yorkers may be at risk of losing health coverage, including over 75,000 residents of Monroe County.
Rochester hospitals play a major role in the local economy. The association suggests a repeal could jeopardize that.
