Seven labor unions on Tuesday are set to endorse a plan that would extend health coverage to more undocumented residents living in New York.

A letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins backed the proposal to allow an estimated 245,000 people living in New York to receive coverage under the Essential Plan.

The move, if approved, would cover adults between the ages of 19 and 64.

Signing onto the proposal: Committee of Interns and Residents - SEIU (CIR-SEIU) New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) District Council 37 (DC 37) Laundry, Distribution and Food Service Joint Board, Workers United/SEIU SEIU 32BJ UAW Region 9A.

"Uninsured immigrants often avoid necessary medical care for fear of the cost," the unions wrote in the letter. "As a result, many experience prolonged illness and suffering, winding up in emergency rooms for conditions that could have been prevented. These are our neighbors, our friends, and our loved ones, and they deserve coverage and care."

Previously, New York City Mayor Eric Adams backed the proposal earlier this year.

Many undocumented New Yorkers rely on emergency Medicaid or safety-net providers for care, which can drive up costs.

State lawmakers and Hochul, meanwhile, continue to negotiate the state budget, now nearly three weeks past the April 1 due date.

Republicans have opposed the health care move over the last several years, including former Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy, now a member of Congress.

"The fact that there's a movement in Albany to put special programs in place for undocumented immigrants in place before we've taken care of the needs of so many people who have struggled through the pandemic, who are here legally, that are here as citizens and taxpayers, it just shows you the mistaken priority of Albany Democrats," he said.