Photo: Reuters
WASHINGTON — The number of New Yorkers qualifying for free health care has skyrocketed under ObamaCare, new figures released Wednesday by the state show.
Of the 2 million New Yorkers who applied for medical coverage through the state’s ObamaCare health exchange, nearly 1.5 million were deemed eligible for Medicaid, the public-health insurance program for the needy.
By comparison, 513,000 signed up for private plans offered through the state-run exchange.
Overall, New York’s Medicaid rolls are expected to surge 6.5 percent to 6.2 million enrollees this year, according to Gov. Cuomo’s 2015-2016 budget plan.
While advocates are happy low-income New Yorkers are getting public health insurance to which they’re entitled, critics worry that taxpayers will be on the hook for the higher costs down the road.
Meanwhile, President Obama’s top health-care official, Sylvia Matthews Burwell, refused to say whether the administration has a backup plan if the Supreme Court guts the Affordable Care Act.
The Supreme Court on March 4 will hear a case that threatens to toss out advance tax credits awarded to millions enrolled on the federal exchange. Such a decision would not impact New York, which created its own health exchange.
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