To the Editor:
Our leaders in Washington are currently discussing how to avoid a default on the nation’s debt. Included in discussions are some concerning provisions that would directly impact lung health here in New York, including ones that threaten healthcare and air quality.
Over 6.8 million New York residents rely on Medicaid to access quality, affordable healthcare. One provision under discussion would add barriers to healthcare called “work requirements.” According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 91% of individuals in the Medicaid expansion group are either workers, caregivers, students, or unable to work due to illness. These requirements aren’t about work, they are about adding unnecessary and burdensome paperwork that results in people losing their coverage due to red tape.
Other provisions under discussion would repeal tax incentives for clean energy or would open the door for building more polluting energy sources like coal and gas while weakening the public’s right to engage in those permitting decisions. More than 1 in 3 Americans live with unhealthy air and adding more pollution will exacerbate health challenges.
As the Director of Advocacy in New York with the American Lung Association, I know firsthand the importance of healthcare and clean air for people living with chronic diseases like asthma and COPD. If these provisions went into effect, many more people could face poor air quality or the loss of their healthcare coverage, leaving them unable to manage their chronic lung disease, which results in more dire, costlier care down the road.
These provisions would especially harm people with disabilities, children, individuals who are pregnant and seniors in nursing homes. I ask that Senators Schumer and Gillibrand reject the “work requirement” policy for Medicaid and the buildout of additional polluting energy to better protect the health of all New York residents.
Trevor Summerfield
Canajoharie, NY
