Faso offers healthcare views

FRITZ MAYER
Posted 1/25/17

ALBANY, NY — Congressman John Faso, who represents Sullivan County and all or part of 10 other counties, said in a radio interview on January 16 that he favors repealing Obamacare and adopting …

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Faso offers healthcare views

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ALBANY, NY — Congressman John Faso, who represents Sullivan County and all or part of 10 other counties, said in a radio interview on January 16 that he favors repealing Obamacare and adopting a replacement law at the same time.

In response to a listener’s question he said, “I don’t think [my constituents] would take kindly to repealing [the Affordable Care Act] without a replacement. One of the things that I’m absolutely bound and determined to do is to make sure that we have reforms that will fix the system, that will address the problems that exist with the ACA, but not toss people under the bus that are now covered. 

“These reforms would include creating the ability of small businesses to once again band together to create association health plans, which were banned under the ACA. This is a very, very good thing for small businesses, and as you probably know, in our district, most of the people who work for the private sector work for small businesses….

“I think in New York State we have to address the Medicaid population; the vast majority of people who got insurance in the state got it through expanded Medicaid,” he said, and he said he wants to ensure that those people are protected. 

He also said there is a misunderstanding about what Congress has done over the past few weeks to undo ACA. He said, “The process is going to take months and months and it’s going to be done out in the open, and it’s going to be done through the normal legislative process. And I hope that as we go forward, people will be able to see that and judge accordingly.”

Faso said one of the problems with ACA was that the law had a policy that insurance for an older person could not cost more than three times as much as the same policy for a younger person. He said that most actuaries think the ratio was too low; it should have been one to five. He said that decision may have led to many young people being priced out of the market.

As for the question of a single-payer plan, he said there were good parts and negative parts to all kinds of insurance systems. He said the system in England, for instance, leads to problems of rationing and doctors being paid properly, while the system in the United States allows for more innovation and faster access to treatment.

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