HARRIS, SULLIVAN COUNTY — “Our healthcare providers are under attack.” 

This was the message that U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills staff and Sullivan County officials Thursday afternoon as he announced new legislation to make healthcare more affordable and reverse GOP cuts.

This announced bill, which Schumer calls the Protecting Healthcare and Lowering Costs Act, aims to restore the recent Medicaid cuts and make permanent tax credits that help multiple families in affording health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), credits that Schumer noted are set to expire at the end of 2025.

“Today is all about the impending impacts of Medicaid cuts on our region and the communities that we serve and the people we care for: our patients,” CEO and President of Garnet Health as well as one of the event’s speakers, Jonathan Schiller, told attendees. “When patients can’t afford to pay for their care, hospitals have to make up the difference.”

Schumer stated that the changes are needed to avoid what he described as significant local impacts. There has been reduced services from Garnet Health including its outpatient diabetes program in Sullivan County as well as laying off staff, citing lower reimbursements from Medicaid.

Schumer also brought up the Center for Discovery, which also relies on Medicaid for much of its funding.

“These are wonderful people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and the Center for Discovery does such an amazing job. [The cuts] are devastating and sad,” stated Schumer. “They are also going to cut SNAP feeding the hungry. Why could they take food out of the mouths of hungry children? They just think there’s government waste. SNAP has virtually no waste. This hospital has virtually no waste.”

Schumer stated that Sullivan County has one of New York’s highest Medicaid enrollment rates: roughly 37% of residents. He cited this as one of the reasons the county would be sensitive to funding changes.

He said that without additional support, rural hospitals could see longer wait times, further care reductions and higher costs.

“How does this affect patient care? That’s the bottom line here. The bottom line is that these Medicaid cuts will impact us tremendously,” said Pam Murphy, the Chief Medical Officer at Garnet Health. “Think about your coverages [being] reduced, your enrollment lost, it is either because you lose eligibility or you face new ... requirements that you can’t do. These often lead to really hard choices.”

Schumer’s bill is planned to be introduced when Congress returns after Labor Day. In the meantime, Schumer encouraged residents to share their experiences with federal representatives, urging that protecting rural healthcare access is essential to both community health and the stability of local budgets.

“If these Medicaid cuts happened the way that Washington designed, that’s almost $15 million we will lose as a district and that is unconscionable. We can’t survive like that,” stated Assemblymember Paula Kay. “I work with Garnet (Health Medical Center) all the time to help our community and members. We cannot support anything that is going to hurt Medicaid dollars.”