WASHINGTON, D.C. — An ICU nurse on Long Island is the voice of “Devastated,” a television and digital ad the EDW Foundation launched today across New York’s Fourth Congressional District. The ad describes how Medicaid cuts, coverage denials, and surprise medical bills are affecting women on Long Island and urges constituents to tell Rep. Laura Gillen to keep fighting to make health care more affordable.

The EDW Foundation ad highlights two bills that it supports that would lower health care costs and reduce barriers to care for women in New York’s Fourth Congressional District:

• H.R. 247, the Health Care Affordability Act of 2025, would make the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits permanent.
• H.R. 3514, the bipartisan Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025, would streamline prior authorization in Medicare Advantage and increase transparency around delays and denials.

For too many women across Nassau County, one denied claim or one surprise bill can be the difference between getting by and going under. Nearly half of women carry debt from medical or dental bills, and insured women are more likely to be charged for care they believed their plan covered. Medicaid cuts deepen those pressures for women who rely on the program for their own care or help coordinate care for a child, an aging parent, or a family member with a disability.

“Behind every premium hike, denied claim, and Medicaid cut is a woman lying awake trying to figure out how she will afford the care she needs,” said former Rep. Cheri Bustos, an EDW Foundation board member. “Long Island women deserve health care they can count on and afford. Rep. Laura Gillen is fighting for exactly that, and we urge her constituents to tell her to keep doing it.”

View “Devastated” HERE. To learn more about the EDW Foundation and the issues highlighted in this campaign, visit EDWFoundation.org.

About the EDW Foundation

The EDW Foundation is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit formed to strengthen the impact of women in federal policymaking by equipping them with the knowledge, resources, and support needed to shape effective national solutions. We empower women advocates to engage productively with their lawmakers, and we equip women legislators with the tools and insight to craft policies that address real challenges in their communities. Our mission is to ensure women’s lived experiences inform decisions on issues such as health care, tax policy, energy and climate, technology and data governance, and financial regulation. We believe that when women’s real-world experiences guide policy, the solutions are more effective, more equitable, and better aligned with the needs of all Americans.