CM Restler on devastating impact of federal health policy changes

Okay, I really appreciate that.

I think, you know, we can't just underscore how devastating the federal policies have been that are going to lead to one in 11 New Yorkers losing their health care, right?

Nine percent of New York City residents are going to lose their health insurance as a result of changes to Medicaid and eligibility changes to the essential plan.

And when we're shifting.

You know, what is billions of dollars, I mean, extraordinary sums onto the health and hospitals that, you know, as a result of so many newly uninsured people going in for care there, you know, NYC Care is a good model.

I helped to launch it, but it's not insurance.

You know, frankly, the wait times on primary care and secondary care are not what we want them to be.

So, you know, we have limited options here.

Appreciate your

creativity and trying to step up and saying we want to do our best to connect people to care and preventative care as much as possible.

I think we all need to be much more focused on this issue and immediately and I appreciate your leadership and pushing this conversation.

Thank you and we're looking forward to working with you.

You know, as I can say as an ER doctor who is part of the health and hospital system, I think we are going to see a much larger volume of folks coming through.

By our ERs and the bottom line is we as a health department need to do our job to help ER docs like myself so that we can take care of people but also not have to worry about helping them get insured.

Thank you.

I just want to recognize we've been joined by Councilmember Murano on Zoom.

I'm going to, in the interest of time, there were a couple questions that the deputy speaker had wanted to ask about the racial equity plan, which we'll forward you guys, and hopefully you can get back to us on those.

And I will pass it off to Chair Shulman.

And apologies, I had to step out and take an important phone call, so I apologize.