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Bailey criticizes late state budget process, outlines auto‑insurance reforms and warns about Medicaid cuts
Summary
Sen. Jamaal Bailey told Bronx Talk he prefers passing policy through regular bills rather than inserting measures in a late state budget, described negotiated auto‑insurance reforms that aim to remove ZIP code from rate‑making, and called proposed federal Medicaid cuts "draconian."
Sen. Jamaal Bailey criticized the repeated lateness of the state budget and said he would prefer controversial measures to be debated and passed through the regular legislative process rather than inserted into a budget.
"I'd rather pass bills in a regular course of, like, of the legislative session," Bailey said, arguing for more transparent debate and a streamlined process to avoid the recurring late budget scenario.
On auto insurance, Bailey said the budget package includes negotiated reforms and highlighted a bill from Sen. April Baskin that would bar using certain demographic measures "like ZIP code and employment status" to set rates. He cautioned that insurers and regulators will need time to assess the impact and that cost savings may not be immediate: "In Florida, the results were realized in anywhere from 6 months to about a year and a half. So we're gonna have to wait a little bit of time to see how these measures are."
Bailey acknowledged uncertainty about when consumers might see lower premiums, saying "we don't know what the specific cost saving measures will be for a little while" and that industry analysis will determine the ultimate effect.
On federal Medicaid reductions, Bailey called significant cuts "draconian" and said regaining Democratic control of the U.S. House and Senate would give lawmakers stronger tools to contest or mitigate those reductions. He noted state and local leaders are trying to respond, but said he was unsure whether the state could fully fill any large federal funding shortfall.
Bailey framed the budget and health‑care concerns as matters where politics and policy intersect and said Bronx lawmakers are working with state leadership and colleagues across regions to try to protect services for vulnerable residents.
