Time For State-Based Single Payer: The New York Health Act Ashley M. Fox Martha Livingston Len Rodberg Richard Gottfried February 9, 2026

https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/time-state-based-single-payer-new-york-health-act With the recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act, the fate of millions of Americans’ health care coverage hangs in the balance. Although implementation of the largest cuts have been pushed off to 2028, the Congressional Budget Office’s latest cost estimates show that the law will reduce federal Medicaid spending by $793 billion and increase the number of uninsured people by 7.8 million. A separate study suggests that as many as 16,642 people annually could lose their lives as a result of these cuts. In New York, initial estimates suggest that Medicaid cuts will cost New York State $13.5 billion a year and that one in five New Yorkers could lose health insurance as a result of federal cuts.