Maimonides Medical Center is working to finalize an agreement to join NYC Health+Hospitals in an effort to stay afloat after years of financial struggles.
In recent weeks, Maimonides has “taken steps toward” a merger, said Maimonides spokesperson Tina Lee, and hopes “to finalize the deal and become part of NYC H+H in the coming months.”
In joining Health+Hospitals, Maimonides would earn millions of dollars in additional Medicaid revenue each year, Lee said, as it would allow the hospital to access higher reimbursement rates only available to public hospitals.
It would also receive $2.2 billion over the course of five years under a state grant announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul in October. Maimonides first proposed a partnership with H+H two years ago, according to Crain’s New York Business, and the health systems jointly approached Hochul’s office to request support from the state’s Safety Net Transformation Program.
“This presents a historic opportunity for Maimonides to expand our capacity to deliver high-quality care, meet the growing needs of our communities, and strengthen our financial position at a time when Federal cuts threaten to reduce support for safety net hospitals,” Lee said.
Maimonides has faced significant financial issues since the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite receiving significant government assistance, it fell into a significant deficit in 2025, losing $15 million in the first three quarters of the year and earning just $1.5 million in revenue. Still, the hospital has continued to expand, and this year opened a new children’s emergency room and a psychiatric emergency department.
More than 80% of Maimonides’ patients are insured by Medicaid and Medicare, according to a 2022 Community Services Plan, and the hospital “treats all patients, regardless of ability to pay.” Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements don’t cover the full cost of care, meaning hospitals like Maimonides often provide services at a loss. Medicaid cuts included in President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which will start to take effect in early 2026, will further threaten safety-net hospitals.
The NYC Health+Hospitals Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of starting formal negotiations to emerge with Maimonides last month, but support for the plan is mixed.
In November, seven members of Maimonides’ Board of Trustees sued the hospital and its executives in a bid to pause a vote on the merger.
In the suit, board members Aaron Twerski, Peter Rebenwurzel, George Weinberger, Chaim Fisher, Yehoshuia Leib Fruchtlander, Marty Waisbrod and David Spira claimed the merger was politically motivated and would threaten the quality of care at Maimonides, and said hospital execs had ignored offers to merge with Touro University and Westchester Medical Center Health Network.
They also claimed the merger would leave doctors at Maimonides in a lurch, as they “would not be granted employee status at [Health+Hospitals].” Those doctors would be paid out under their existing contracts, the suit says, but would not have firm employee status and may lose their seniority.
In response to the suit, a judge last month issued a temporary injunction blocking the Maimonides Board from voting — but the injunction was later overturned by an appellate court. It is not clear if the Board has officially voted on the merger.
“We continue to work with NYC H+H and our stakeholders toward a final deal that grows our current clinical collaboration and expands access to the award-winning, culturally responsive care that our patients and communities have come to expect from Maimonides,” Lee said.
As the hospital works to finalize a merger, it is also in the midst of contract negotiations with the New York State Nurses Association. With their contracts set to expire on Dec. 31, NYSNA nurses at 12 New York City Hospitals — including Maimonides — voted on Monday to authorize a strike if an agreement is not reached in time.
NYSNA on Monday said it is fighting for contracts that will enforce safe staffing levels, protections for patients targeted by the Trump administration, workplace safety protections, fair wages and benefits and safeguards on use of AI in healthcare.
Regarding the merger, a NYSNA spokesperson told Brooklyn Paper the union is “watching the process closely,” but understands the agreement is likely to take some time.
“Our first priority is to settle a fair contract with Maimonides by the end of the year,” they said.
