Governor Hochul Commits $106 Million to Fighting Hunger During Federal Shutdown
With the federal shutdown entering its thirtieth day, it is now expected that federal funding for SNAP benefits (food stamps) will run out at the end of October. This morning, Governor Hochul announced an additional $65 million in funding for charitable food assistance, bringing overall state funding for emergency food assistance to $106 million. We commend the governor for her efforts to keep New Yorkers fed while the federal government gambles with human lives. The best way to ensure that the forty-two million Americans—including three million New Yorkers—relying on SNAP receive their benefits would be for Republicans [...]
How New Mexico Will Pay for Universal Childcare
New Mexico will allow residents of all income levels receive childcare subsidies—what lessons can New York learn? Download PDF Starting November 1, 2025, New Mexico will remove all income limits for its childcare assistance program, allowing New Mexico residents of all income levels to receive childcare subsidies. Currently, income limits are set at 400 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), meaning only those who earn less than $128,600 per year are eligible. About 30,000 families currently receive childcare subsidies, and the state estimates the expansion will serve an additional 12,000 children. While New Mexico is [...]
Failure to fund SNAP benefits will remove $640 million from state economy
With the federal shutdown entering its 28th day, it is now expected that federal funding for SNAP benefits (food stamps) will run out by the end of October. The 3 million New Yorkers — including 1 million children — who rely on SNAP for food security will collectively lose the $640 million per month that they receive in benefits, triggering an immediate hunger crisis throughout the state. What’s more, 16,000 retailers that serve SNAP recipients will also lose out on $640 million in aggregate monthly revenue, a huge loss that could put strain on the businesses. Governor Hochul has [...]
Public Payers Control Healthcare Spending Better than Private Insurers
The OBBBA could threaten one of the signature accomplishments of the ACA: Creating a viable individual insurance market in which middle-class people can purchase high-quality insurance at a reasonable price.
New York’s Small Group Market Has Big Problems
Health insurance premiums are set to rise by 13 percent for small businesses - putting them on track to double by 2031.
FPI Briefing on State Tax Policy after the OBBBA
FPI Director Nathan Gusdorf presented a briefing on July 17 about how state tax policy can respond to the federal funding cuts in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act".
Troubling trends in New York’s small group market
Read Full Report By Bailey Hu, Health Policy Analyst, & Michael Kinnucan, Director of Health Policy Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, small business employers in New York and other states often had difficulty buying affordable health insurance, especially if their employees were in poor health. The ACA helped provide better options for workers and their families by regulating offerings in the "small group" health insurance market, which serves businesses with up to 100 employees. However, recent administrative data shows alarming trends: not only is New York's small group [...]
FPI Briefing on the Federal Budget Reconciliation Bill
The OBBBA spending cuts are concentrated in Medicaid and food stamps (SNAP), with devastating effects for New Yorkers. The bill will cut federal funding to the New York State budget by approximately $10 billion annually and kick 1.5 million New Yorkers off their health insurance, more than doubling the statewide uninsured population. On top of the direct fiscal costs to New York State, the OBBBA will cut an additional $13 billion in funding to New York’s healthcare system.
FPI Research on Tax Migration cited on NBC, CNN, MSNBC
Zohran Mamdani’s recent victory in the New York City Democratic primary election has brought FPI’s past research on millionaire tax flight into the national spotlight.
One Big Beautiful Fiscal Crisis
Yesterday, in a 51-49 vote, Senate Republicans passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), which, if passed by the House this week, will increase the national debt by approximately $4 trillion while leaving 11 million more Americans uninsured by 2035. The bill is significantly more draconian in its Medicaid cuts than the version passed by the House in May, cutting the program by $1 trillion over 10 years, rather than the $800 billion proposed in the House bill.
New York’s Individual Market is Headed for Disaster under the OBBBA
The OBBBA could threaten one of the signature accomplishments of the ACA: Creating a viable individual insurance market in which middle-class people can purchase high-quality insurance at a reasonable price.
New York Employment Impacts from Medicaid Cuts
A reduction of $10 billion in federal Medicaid funding would result in the direct loss of over 78,000 jobs in healthcare across the state and over 136,000 additional jobs lost through economic spillovers.
The House Medicaid Proposal Would be a Disaster for New York
In February, Congressional Republicans – including all seven New York representatives – voted for a budget reconciliation package requiring $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid over the next ten years. The reconciliation package set an overall target for spending reductions, but didn’t announce what specifically would be cut from the program. This week, House leadership finally revealed which program areas will be targeted.
Federal Policy Briefings
Thursday Briefing, April 17 https://youtu.be/AOGhN5R9myw
Does New York State Have Universal Pre-K?
By the State’s account, it currently provides enough UPK funding to provide a UPK seat to every four-year-old in the State. Nevertheless, the program remains far short of universal, with incomplete coverage of four-year-olds outside of the state’s major cities and limited provision for three-year-olds across the state.
How Fast is New York’s Home Care Program Growing?
Much recent reporting has focused on the growth of CDPAP in isolation, but this perspective exaggerates home care growth by ignoring the role of agency-model home care, which accounts for 44 percent of all Medicaid-funded home care in New York.
The Federal Housing Policy Landscape
State housing policy relies heavily on two federal programs that support housing affordability: the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and Housing Choice Vouchers (also known as “Section 8” vouchers). These two programs underpin most affordable housing construction in the US and play an important role in the provision of affordable housing in New York State.
Making Sense of New York’s Medicaid Long-Term Care Spending
New York spends more on Medicaid long-term care than most states, but this higher spending is driven primarily by higher enrollment, particularly among seniors, rather than by higher per-enrollee spending. This high enrollment reflects policymakers’ decision to make long-term care, particularly home care, relatively accessible for working- and middle-class seniors.
Understanding Childcare Policy in New York
Childcare in New York State is unaffordable for many families, yet inadequately supports its workers. The State’s childcare costs are the third highest in the U.S., putting a strain on family budgets across the income distribution. The Bronx and Brooklyn have the costliest childcare as a share of family income of any county in the U.S.
Understanding Foundation Aid: How Public School Funding Works in New York State
Public school funding is allocated to local school districts based on formulas specified in state law, primarily through a formula known as Foundation Aid. This brief explains the State’s rules that govern public school funding.
Debunking Common Misconceptions about the Size of the State Budget
Under the fiscal year 2025 executive budget, inflation-adjusted state funding would fall for a third consecutive year. While State spending rose in response to Covid, it will return to its pre-Covid trend by fiscal year 2025.