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Starting July 1st, 450,000 New Yorkers will lose free health insurance coverage through New York's Essential Plan. This includes tens of thousands of Westchester County residents—teachers' aides, home health workers, small business owners earning $32,000–$40,000 individually or $54,000–$68,000 for a family of three.

When this coverage ends, these working people will be shifted to marketplace plans with monthly premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs they can't afford. The impact on Westchester's safety net hospitals and community health centers could be severe: lost revenue, staff layoffs, and reduced access to care. State legislators have introduced bills to cover the gap, but no vote is scheduled.

**In This Episode:**
- The Essential Plan coverage cliff (0:00)
- Why 450,000 people are affected (2:15)
- Impact on Westchester's healthcare system (5:40)
- County budget crisis and other local news (8:20)

**Subscribe to the daily newsletter** at iliveherewestchester.com to stay informed about what's happening in Westchester County.

**Sources:**
- NY State Department of Health Federal Approval Update (March 23, 2026)
- Gothamist "Watch the mail" (April 2026)
- Healthbeat "What to do if you are losing coverage" (April 7, 2026)
- Fiscal Policy Institute Regional Impacts
- NY State of Politics (April 9, 2026)

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I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

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Westchester County has one of the highest median household incomes in America. And thirty-eight percent of the households inside it can't actually afford to live here. This week on The Friday Intel, we pull apart the Westchester affordability paradox. Why a place this rich quietly prices out a third of its own residents, why infant daycare costs more than a year at SUNY, and why one in four Westchester families earn above the poverty line and still can't afford the basics.

In This Episode:
(0:00) Cold Open
(0:30) Intro and Context
(1:30) The Data — Housing, rent, property taxes, and cost burden
(4:00) The Surprise — Childcare costs more than college in the same state
(5:30) What This Means for You
(6:30) Close

Sources: American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-24 and 2018-22 five-year estimates), Ownwell (March 2025 property tax analysis), The Children's Agenda (2025 childcare report), United Way of Westchester and Putnam (2024 ALICE report), Westchester Index.

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Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

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Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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Westchester County just hit 1,015,743 residents — the largest population gain of any county in New York State. But 44 of 62 New York counties are losing people. The growth is concentrated in New Rochelle, White Plains, and Yonkers. The question nobody is asking: what infrastructure absorbs them?

In This Episode:
(0:00) Westchester crosses one million — who is coming and what it means
(4:00) Yonkers ranked 25th most diverse city in the U.S.
(5:00) State budget remains unresolved — multiple extenders passed
(5:30) New Rochelle Pratt Landing waterfront development advances

Subscribe on YouTube for the video version of every episode.

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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White Plains approved the largest residential development in its history — 3,001 apartments across seven towers at the former Galleria Mall site. But the project already shrunk before breaking ground. Commercial space was slashed 58%. And the Cappelli Organization's option to purchase expires June 30. Here is what is actually happening with District Galleria.

In This Episode:
(0:00) District Galleria: 3,001 apartments, $2.5 billion, and a shrinking footprint
(4:00) Essential Plan cliff — 450,000 losing health coverage July 1
(5:00) Governor Hochul announces $16M for New Rochelle LINC project
(5:30) Westchester names Phylisha Villanueva as 2nd Poet Laureate

Subscribe to the newsletter for the full story delivered weekly at iliveheremedia.com

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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Westchester County closed a $197.7 million budget gap this year with 8% cuts across nearly every department and 180 eliminated positions. Meanwhile, 450,000 New Yorkers face losing their Essential Plan health coverage on July 1, and the state budget that was supposed to stabilize things just missed its deadline for the seventh year in a row.

In This Episode:
(0:00) $197.7M budget gap — what was cut, what was saved, and what it means
(3:30) Essential Plan cliff: 450,000 losing coverage July 1
(5:00) Sustainable Westchester's PSC filing rejected
(5:30) Mamaroneck proposes ending free Sunday parking
(6:00) Brenda Fareri Pavilion on track for 2026 opening

Subscribe on YouTube for the video version of every episode.

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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A Mount Vernon funeral home owner had his license revoked in 2019. He kept operating for six years. The New York Attorney General unsealed a 20-count indictment. Inspectors found 13 bodies in decomposition and 17 boxes of cremated remains. The real story is the regulatory failure that let it happen.

In This Episode:
(0:00) Camelot Funeral Home indictment — regulatory failure in Mount Vernon
(1:45) Westchester Power shutdown leaves no alternative to Con Edison
(2:15) New York State budget misses deadline for 7th consecutive year
(2:30) Westchester opens Mental Health Safety Net Clinic in White Plains

Subscribe to the newsletter for the full story delivered weekly at iliveheremedia.com

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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New York drivers now pay a statewide average exceeding $4,000 a year for auto insurance — fourth highest in the nation, 52% above the national average. Inside Westchester County, the spread is dramatic: Yonkers drivers pay nearly $2,400 while Waccabuc drivers pay $1,808. The reason? Southern Westchester shares a rating territory with the Bronx. This week's Friday Intel breaks down the data behind your premium: 43,000+ fraud incidents, $300 per driver in fraud costs, and New York's #1 ranking in nuclear verdicts exceeding $10 million.

In This Episode:
(0:00) Cold Open — Same driver, same record, $600 gap by zip code
(0:20) Intro and Context
(0:40) The Data — Statewide costs, Westchester zip code spread, fraud, nuclear verdicts
(2:00) The Surprise — Hochul's reform stalled for the seventh straight year
(2:45) What This Means for You
(3:30) Close

Sources:
Insurance Information Institute — State auto insurance expenditure rankings
NY Department of Financial Services — Fraud Bureau incident data
Partnership for New York City — Nuclear verdict and household claims analysis
Governor Hochul Executive Office — Auto insurance reform package

Subscribe to the I Live Here Westchester newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com.

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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Westchester County residents pay some of the highest auto insurance premiums in the country. Today, Jim sits down with Lauren Zelt of PACT — Protect Access to Consumer Trials — to explain the direct connection between lawsuit abuse, staged accidents, and the rates on your bill. With Governor Hochul pushing sweeping tort reform in the 2026 state budget, this conversation could not be more timely.

(0:00) What is PACT and why was it launched with a $10 million national campaign (2:27) How billboard attorneys trap injured clients in predatory loan agreements (5:25) Third-party litigation funding and how outside investors change case incentives (6:49) Where New York's tort reform fight stands right now — and what stalls means for your rates (7:40) The staged accident epidemic: New York ranked second in the nation for insurance fraud (11:52) What every Westchester resident should know before calling a number off a billboard

To learn more about PACT visit protectingamericanconsumers.org.

Subscribe to The Westchester Brief newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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IN-PLAYER SHOW NOTES
Twenty-seven thousand septic systems sit beneath Westchester properties in the New York City watershed. An estimated 10% are failing, leaking fecal bacteria, viruses, and nitrates into the drinking water supply for millions. The county just launched a $3.5 million program offering interest-free loans up to $49,999 with no money upfront. The question is whether it's enough as federal protections erode. Plus: Northwell acquires 240 Optum surgeons, the Prevailing Wage Act, and the Conservation District's expanded work plan.

In This Episode:
0:00 Cold Open: 27,000 septic systems on top of NYC's water
0:40 The $3.5 million Septic Rehabilitation Program
1:30 How the interest-free loan works
2:30 Twelve watershed communities and the scope of failure
3:15 164 sewage spills since 2010 and federal rollbacks
4:00 1997 Memorandum of Agreement and state funding
4:30 Quick Hits: Northwell-Optum deal, Prevailing Wage Act, Conservation District
6:15 Closing remarks

Subscribe on YouTube for the video version of The Westchester Brief with full timestamps.

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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IN-PLAYER SHOW NOTES
A federal judge permanently blocked the Trump administration from killing congestion pricing. For Westchester, this isn't a Manhattan toll story — it's a Metro-North funding story. First-year revenue hit $550 million, exceeding projections. That money funds the Park Avenue Viaduct replacement, Hudson Line signal upgrades, and new railcars. Ridership is up 6%. The traffic spillover everyone feared never happened. Plus: Chef Psilakis opens Klema in Larchmont, New Rochelle's construction boom, and Blueprint '26 launches.

In This Episode:
0:00 Cold Open: A federal judge's 149-page ruling
0:40 Judge Liman's ruling and DOT termination letters
1:30 $550 million in first-year revenue
2:30 Park Avenue Viaduct and Hudson Line upgrades
3:15 Ridership gains and traffic spillover data
4:00 Low-income discounts and tax credits
4:30 Quick Hits: Klema in Larchmont, New Rochelle housing, Blueprint '26
6:15 Closing remarks

Subscribe to The Westchester Brief at www.iliveherewestchester.com for daily local news that matters.

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia

Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.