Nearly one million Americans have been removed from a health care plan in New York over the last two years, according to data from KFF, a nonprofit health policy research and news organization.
Between March 2023 and March 2025, around 930,000 people in New York were disenrolled from the Medicaid program as part of the unwinding process happening nationwide in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
When approached for comment, New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald told Newsweek in a statement: “The passage of the Congressional Budget Reconciliation Bill poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of New Yorkers.”
“A rollback of this magnitude jeopardizes the stability of health care facilities around the state, strips health insurance coverage from New Yorkers, and will have direct, harmful impacts on working families, children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities.
“As we continue to assess the impacts of the bill the department will remain steadfast in its commitment to protecting the health of all New Yorkers and will work to mitigate the impacts of this law.”
Newsweek reached out to the state Medicaid service via email for comment.
Why It Matters
While some of these Americans disenrolled from the program may have access to other forms of health insurance, via their employer, for example, some may lose all access to health coverage, leaving them in a vulnerable position.
Without coverage, these Americans may delay seeking medical care, potentially increasing demand for emergency care services, ramping up costs and worsening chronic and mental health conditions.
Following the passage of President Donald Trump‘s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is set to alter the Medicaid program significantly, forecasts predict that millions may lose coverage, heightening concerns about the potential impact on Americans’ access to healthcare.
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What To Know
Some states expanded access to Medicaid, the federal health program for those with limited income and resources, during the COVID pandemic under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
It was only in March 2023 that states were allowed to start “unwinding” the expanded enrollment, as previously, federal rules had determined that states had to keep Medicaid recipients on the program, regardless of changes to eligibility.
In New York, there were 7,518,061 covered by Medicaid in March 2023, but by March 2025, that number was 6,585,835, KFF data shows.
Compared to other highly populated states, like Texas and Florida, New York’s drop in Medicaid-covered individuals, like California’s, was not as steep; Texas and Florida both had declines of over one million.
While the drop over the two years was notable, there was still a 10 percent difference between the 2025 enrollment figures in New York compared to the 2020 figures, showing that enrollment had not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
There are many reasons for the difference in unwinding rates between these states, including that “Texas and Florida haven’t expanded Medicaid while California and New York have,” Paul Shafer, a professor in health law, policy and management at Boston University, told Newsweek.
“Even though the coverage losses are still large in terms of raw numbers in California and New York, they are well below the national average as a share of enrollment because people could have relatively higher incomes, up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, under Medicaid expansion and stay enrolled,” he said.
Another factor could be that California and New York also “had much higher rates of ex parte or automated renewals by the state, meaning fewer people had to fill out paperwork that can be a barrier and cause many to fall through the cracks even when still eligible,” Shafer said.
What People Are Saying
Paul Shafer, a professor in health law, policy and management at Boston University, told Newsweek: “Nearly 5 million Americans lost Medicaid coverage in just these four states over two years. We have to hope that many were able to get coverage through the Marketplace or employers as the economy recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He added: “We would expect to see the uninsured rate rising over time, if these Americans aren’t finding other sources of health insurance coverage. This could have dire implications for their health, especially for those with chronic conditions like hypertension or diabetes, and also increase the burden of uncompensated care on health systems.”
What Happens Next
As the unwinding continues, more reductions in enrollment are expected across the country, elevating concerns about how the rates of uninsured Americans could impact health outcomes.