Assembled committee includes hospital leaders, scholars, former commissioners, and LGBTQ advocates
Unprecedented Medicaid Cuts Force Swift Action
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has assembled a 25-member committee to advise on health policy as his administration prepares to manage a public health crisis of enormous scale. More than two million New Yorkers face health insurance loss under federal policy changes, with an additional 1.3 million losing Medicaid coverage due to new eligibility rules. About half the city’s residents currently depend on Medicaid for health coverage, making these cuts potentially catastrophic. The committee includes hospital executives, former city and state health commissioners, academic health policy experts, union leaders, and LGBTQ advocacy organizations. This diverse composition signals commitment to centering multiple perspectives on health equity and public health response. Yet even this extensive advisory structure cannot mask the gravity of challenges ahead.
Staffing Health Leadership
Mamdani has not yet publicly announced his choice for Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner, the position leading the nation’s largest and oldest city health department. Michelle Morse, serving as acting commissioner since October 2024, has expressed interest in continuing. Morse brings global health experience, internist credentials, and focus on health equity to the role. She serves as assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and co-founded EqualHealth, a network of health professionals and activists committed to achieving health justice through social medicine. Other prominent advisers include Oxiris Barbot, former health commissioner and current president of the United Hospital Fund, and Mary Bassett, former city and state health commissioner now departing her Harvard role. Demetre Daskalakis, who recently resigned from the Centers for Disease Control citing Trump administration political interference in science, has accepted a position as Chief Medical Officer at Callen-Lorde, an LGBTQ health center in Manhattan. These appointments demonstrate Mamdani’s commitment to attracting nationally recognized health leadership while maintaining progressive health equity focus.
Committee Composition and Gaps
The health committee reflects institutional representation from SBH Health System in the Bronx, the Greater New York Hospital Association, New York State Nurses Association, and Planned Parenthood of Greater New York. However, some major health institutions lack representation, including Norwell Health and Mount Sinai. Additionally, as health policy expert Bruce Y. Lee noted, the committee appears to lack sufficient artificial intelligence and health informatics expertise. Lee also raised concerns about scientific rigor in the selection process. “I do wonder whether there is a dearth of scientific expertise,” he observed.
Immediate Health Challenges
Beyond Medicaid reductions, the administration confronts longstanding health equity gaps, public hospital funding constraints, and mental health service limitations. Mamdani has promised $362.8 million toward unprecedented mental health investment as part of his new Department of Community Safety initiative. This commitment to mental health funding represents serious response to years of advocacy from Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and community organizations documenting gaps in city mental health infrastructure.
Hope and Uncertainty
Speaking at a Fund for Public Health event, Morse expressed optimism about the incoming administration. “It is an anything-is-possible kind of moment,” she declared. “I actually think that investing our time in the success of the platform that our mayor-elect has put forward would be a massive public health win.” Yet everyone working in New York health recognizes the daunting fiscal constraints and federal policy environment shaping implementation possibilities. Morse’s comments reflect both genuine hope for progress and awareness of structural obstacles. For comprehensive reporting on the health advisory committee, see Healthbeat’s detailed analysis. Additional context on health system challenges appears in earlier Healthbeat coverage of city health budget constraints.
