The State Capitol, Albany NY.

ALBANY – A bill to create a single-payer health care system in New York may finally stand a chance now that Democrats have control of both houses.

At a lengthy, packed joint-hearing on the proposed New York Health Act held Tuesday in Albany, the Albany Times Union reports lawmakers heard from a variety of individuals covering the spectrum of the healthcare industry who all agreed that its goal of providing comprehensive, universal coverage to New Yorkers is laudable.

But whether single-payer is the system to achieve that was the topic of spirited debate.

The legislation proposes to replace traditional public and private health insurance programs in the state with a single, comprehensive, publicly funded system that would serve all New Yorkers regardless of their ability to pay. New Yorkers would no longer have to pay premiums, deductibles, co-pays, out-of-network charges or have limited provider networks under the bill. It would be financed through federal support and a progressive payroll tax paid jointly by employers and employees, and shouldered largely by wealthy New Yorkers.

Opponents of the bill say they are worried about the unpredictability and unknowns associated with upending an entire health care system, not to mention the idea of entrusting such an important system with the state government. The also say the progressive tax structure could cause high-wage earners in the state to move, draining the program of significant funding. It would also destroy the private insurance sector in the state, they argued, eliminating roughly 100,000 jobs.

A 2018 study of the bill’s possible effects by the nonpartisan RAND Corporation concluded that it would expand coverage while reducing total health spending.

While New York’s uninsured rate has dropped significantly since the federal Affordable Care Act was signed into law, nearly 1 million of the state’s 19.5 million residents remain uninsured. A recent survey of nearly 1,000 New Yorkers also found that more than half of respondents believe their current health care costs are unaffordable.

No Time-Line was provided on when legislation will be taken up in committee or voted on by lawmakers.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

WASHINGTON – The first major federal tax overhaul in more than three decades has been approved by congress and now awaits the signature of the president.

After clearing the House and Senate, the GOP’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is on its way to the President’s desk to await his signature.

Republicans steamrolled opposition from Democrats to pass a bill that slashes taxes for corporations and the wealthy while giving mixed, temporary tax relief to middle-class Americans.

The House approved the measure by 224-201, passing it for the second time in two days after a procedural foul-up forced another vote on Wednesday. The Republican-led Senate had passed it 51-48 in the early hours of Wednesday.

Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY-23), a member of the tax writing Ways and Means Committee, said the legislation ensures historic tax cuts for hardworking Americans and the launch of a new era of economic opportunity, growth and job creation.

He also said that while the tax bill is written to offer temporary tax relief, he believes the cuts will be extended before sun-setting in eight years.

“There are sun-setting provisions that hit corporations, businesses, and individuals,” Reed said during a conference call with regional media on Wednesday morning. “Mostly on the corporations and business side we are dealing with the expense provisions being temporary. Obviously this was driven by DC bureaucrats. I’m very confident that when we get to that eight-year window for those sunset provisions that they will be dealt with by Congress appropriately and responsibly and no one is going to, I believe, allow those sunsets to occur.”

Another criticism of the tax bill is that it removes the enrollment mandate for the Affordable Care Act. Many fear that as a result, health insurance rates will go up because fewer healthier people would be part of the insurance pool.

Ian Golden

Democratic Congressional Candidate Ian Golden of Ithaca, who hopes to challenge Reed in next November’s general election, explains.

“For those of us that do have to buy insurance, whether – speaking for myself – as a small business owner or for my family, that is going to mean that my premiums are going to be going up that much more to counter-balance the healthier people who are not being forced to buy into the plan,” Golden said during a phone interview with WRFA on Wednesday.

Reed said he supports the elimination of the mandate, but also added there are other mechanisms included in the final tax reform plan to provide help for those who are unable to afford health insurance payments.

“I think it gives the people the ability to choose where they want to buy their health insurance. And remember we did not repeal the premium tax credit assistance program that is out there. If people engage in the process – they’ll do what they need to do to protect their families and themselves –  using the tax credits to get help to get health insurance is still on the books and is available,” Reed countered.

Eddie Sundquist

Another potential opponent of Reed, Jamestown attorney Eddie Sundquist, sent a media release on Wednedsay calling the tax reform plan a tax scam that will give corporations and the GOP’s wealthiest donors significant tax breaks at the expense of New York families.

Sundquist said the GOP’s elimination of the State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions means that middle-class families in New York will have to pay federal taxes on income that went to state and local governments, effectively a double tax.

The final plan limits deductions of state and local income and property taxes, known as SALT, to $10,000.

“I am incredibly disappointed that Tom Reed would vote for a bill that would do more harm to his constituents than good,” Sundquist said. “While he claims this will help families in our district, elimination of deductions like the state and local tax deductions will do the opposite – and the cuts to entitlements like Medicare & Medicaid will be devastating.”

Reed has said that provision will not affect most of the residents in his district because very few pay over $10,000 in annual state and local taxes. However, critics say it will create a chilling effect in New York State, because those with high enough incomes who would be impacted may decide to move out of the state to save money, forcing the remaining residents to cover the lost tax income in Albany.

Democratic-leaning states, including New York, are expected to take legal action to challenge the SALT cap and even though such lawsuits would face long odds, they could help galvanize Democrats for next year’s mid-term election.

Sundquist also said Congressman Reed is a direct beneficiary of a newly added provision that gives a tax break to those who own LLCs, something that will personally benefit him. Reed and his wife take income from two LLCs: R&R Properties, LLC, and R&R Resource Recovery, LLC – a medical collections business.

“One of the few people who comes out ahead in this deal is Tom Reed himself. It’s alarming to hear that Reed’s yes vote comes after the GOP added a special provision to cut taxes for those who own LLCs. Reed and his family own two, and this provision would lower taxes on the income his family takes from them,” the Jamestown Democrat said.

Sundquist said that as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Reed was directly involved in determining the provisions that ended up in the final bill and he should be held accountable for the long-term consequences the plan will have on the public.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

WASHINGTON – A coalition of House Republicans and Democrats have agreed to a proposal to update the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

The Problem Solvers caucus – co-chaired by local Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY-23) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and comprised of 43 members from both sides of the aisle – has agreed to a slate of updates and fixes to not overturn, but stabilize, Obamacare.

During his weekly conference call with regional media, Reed outlined details of the stabilization plan, which would work to stabilize the insurance market. In addition, it would also makes a series of changes that have received bipartisan backing.

Highlighting the agreement is a proposal to fund Obamacare subsidies, which insurance companies rely on in order to stabilize rates and reduce out-of-pocket costs for the poor.

We would pay for the stabilization through a state stability fund, as well as the cost sharing reduction payment – that is the subject of a lawsuit and have been ruled illegal by the courts – coming from the White House and going to the insurance carriers,” reed said.

The Plan would include several other fixes, including raising the employment number from 50 to 500 to better protect small businesses and increasing full-time status from 30 hours to 40 hours.

WRFA asked Reed what his biggest concern was with the proposal, and he said that it may send the wrong message regarding his stance on Obamacare’s future.

“We stand for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. We don’t think it’s the best healthcare policy for America. We need to do better for the American people. And so maybe some people are thinking if we do this, they’ll think that we’ve abandoned our position when it comes to the Affordable Care Act. That’s just not accurate, but we can see that attack. I can see that as being something people will throw out there,” Reed said.

The Problem Solvers Caucus only comprises 10 percent of the total House membership, but Reed said it does send a signal to the rest of Washington that it’s time to work together.

“We’ve shown as 43 members from diverse areas of the country who have different districts, but at the end of the day we can go into a room, look each other in the eye – it takes a lot of hard work – and we can trust each other and we can start to compromise where 80 percent of the loaf is a victory for each of us. That to me is the greatest win.”

Even if lawmakers were to agree to the plan, it would also need the approval of President Donald Trump, who’s said numerous times he wants to fully repeal and replace Obamacare, and he’s willing to pull funding in order to expedite the process.

The roll out of their stabilization proposal follows weeks of meetings between Problem Solvers caucus members, who wanted to develop a plan to stabilize Obamacare if the GOP’s repeal effort sputtered.

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A conference call with Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) and regional media representatives. Held Monday afternoon, July 31, 2017.

In this week’s conference call Rep. Reed discusses the Problem Solvers’ Stabilization Proposal for the Affordable Care Act, Comments from President Trump urging  “upper” New Yorkers to leave New York State, and the appointment of Gen. John Kelly as new chief of staff.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

WASHINGTON – Republican leaders are steering the Senate toward a crucial vote on their bill eviscerating much of the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s health care law. The pending vote has been buoyed by the near theatrical return to the Capitol of the ailing Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

On Monday McCain announced through his office that he would be back in Washington for the critical roll call on beginning debate on the legislation. The 80-year-old has been at home in Arizona since he revealed last week that he’s undergoing treatment for brain cancer.

Meanwhile, Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) said he’ll oppose any healthcare legislation that comes out of the U.S. Senate that does not include an amendment that removes the local cost of Medicaid.

Reed released a statement on Monday and reiterated it during his weekly conference call with the media, saying that the Faso-Collins Amendment that was included in the final house version of the American Health Care Act also needs to be included in any final version the Senate puts forth.

“Standing with our local taxpayers is something I care deeply about and this opportunity -to do the right thing by putting the burden at the state capitol that controls medicaid, and can design medicaid, and therefore is ultimately responsible for that system – to me is the right thing to do,” Reed said. “Without it in the legislation I just don’t feel comfortable moving forward with the Senate health bill if it doesn’t have that provision in it.”

The Faso-Collins Amendment – sponsored by Republican congressman Chris Collins and John Faso of New York, would requires every state in the country to assume all costs of Medicaid.  It is specifically aimed at New York State, which is currently the only state in the country that still requires local county governments to pay a portion of the Medicaid cost.

The argument in favor of the amendment is that it would help reduce local property taxes but eliminating the Medicaid burden. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other state leaders have argued against the bill, saying the removal of the local share would drive up costs at the state level by $2.3 billion – meaning the state would likely have to find ways to offset that increase, including the possibility of reducing local aid.

In Chautauqua County for the 2017 budget which totals $233 million, a total of $30.3 million was budgeted for Medicaid.

It was reported last week that major portions of the Senate Republican health bill — including the Faso-Collins Amendment — likely will end up on the cutting room floor, thanks to a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian, who ruled that major portions of the health bill are policy-making measures that can be struck from the bill unless 60 senators vote to keep them.

With Republicans struggling to even get the 50 votes they need to pass the health bill, the ruling puts Democrats in the position where they could challenge and defeat several provisions in the bill, from the Faso-Collins amendment to a provision barring federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

However, it’s appearing more and more likely they won’t be able to make good on their seven-year effort, at least for the foreseeable future.

Two GOP senators – Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) – sealed the fate of the Senate version of the American Health Care Act late Monday when each announced they would vote “no” in an initial, critical vote that had been expected as soon as next week.

The announcement meant that at least four of the 52 GOP senators were ready to block the measure – two more than Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had to spare in the face of a wall of Democratic opposition.

The implosion leaves a divided GOP with its flagship legislative priority in tatters, and confronts a wounded President Donald Trump and congressional leaders with dicey decisions about addressing the perhaps unattainable promise of repealing President Barack Obama’s law.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

WASHINGTON – Senate Republican leaders are trotting out their new, but reeling, health care bill and angling toward a showdown vote next week amid signs that they have lots of work ahead to win over GOP lawmakers or face a resounding failure.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., planned to present the revamped measure rolling back much of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act to GOP senators Thursday.

He’s aiming at a do-or-die vote next week on whether to begin debating the bill – a roll call for which he’s got little to no margin for error. Since Democrats uniformly oppose the effort, McConnell needs the votes of 50 of the 52 GOP senators to prevail.

Chautauqua County’s representative in Congress, Corning Republican Tom Reed, said he’s not going to predict how the vote will pan out in the Senate. During his weekly conference call with regional media, he did say that as Republicans in Congress work to address costly health insurance in the country by replacing the Affordable Care Act with the American Health Care Act, but he’s hoping lawmakers will also continue to identify ways to improve health care for Americans.

“Right now we’re having primarily the focus on health insurance and what the American Health Care Act is going to do to stabilize these Obamacare insurance market places,” Reed said. “But there are opportunities, I truly believe, that when we get to the issue of health care and improving health care in America and how we develop policies that reward quality and do it in the most cost-efficient manner, those conversations are something we can have at the same time when it comes to dealing with health insurance in the present manner.”

Reed also responded to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recent criticism of the GOP health insurance plan, which would significantly cut Medicaid funding across the country, some of which is used to combat the ongoing Opioid epidemic.  Reed said that both the House and the Senate have included funding to address the opioid crisis in their respective healthcare bills, adding that the governor is using the crisis to cover up his unwillingness to make tough decisions in the state budget.

“I think what the governor is doing is he’s just so afraid to make the hard decisions in order to control the cost of Medicaid and make it sustainable in regards to not being placed on the backs of hard working Americans who are paying the bill through their tax bills in the state of New York and to try to work together, I hope, long-term, to make those hard decisions to get Medicaid in a more efficient, effective manner,” Reed said. “So from my perspective, what the governor is doing is he is just engaging in the practice we see out of typical politicians who don’t want to engage in the hard issues.”

Governor Cuomo says that the funding proposed by the Republicans in Congress to fight the opioid addiction is not even close to the amount that would be needed to properly address the crisis. He made his comments in an op-ed piece that appeared earlier this week in the New York Daily News.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

ALBANY – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is continuing his criticism of Republican Lawmakers’ effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act with their own health care plan called the American Health Care Act.

The governor wrote an op-ed  piece that appeared in the New York Daily News on Tuesday, in which he blasted the Senate for proposing cuts to Medicaid at a time when the U.S. is dealing with the biggest drug epidemic in the nation’s history.

The governor said that while states like New York continue to fight against the opioid epidemic, the health care legislation being advanced in the Senate would strip Medicaid funding used for drug treatment services that save lives and keep families intact.

In New York, federal, state and local Medicaid funding makes up two-thirds of the state’s yearly budget for substance use programs — nearly $800 million of a total $1.2 billion. The governor said those funds allowed the state to treat 234,000 people for substance use in 2016 alone.

Gov. Cuomo said Cutting Medicaid would devastate New York’s ability to treat those who need help battling an opioid addiction, through treatment, crisis, detox and counseling services.

“The Senate legislation in its current form would phase out federal funds that are used to expand eligibility for Medicaid and slash billions of dollars from Medicaid, ” The governor said. The bill would eliminate $772 billion from Medicaid over 10 years nationwide.

“While the Republican health care bill includes $2 billion for opioid treatment, and may add as much as $45 billion over 10 years, this funding is nowhere near enough,” the Governor said. “Money for opioid treatment alone, without Medicaid expansion, can only address the tip of the iceberg of this epidemic. Many rely on Medicaid coverage in order to access treatment at all — so access to these programs would be dramatically reduced. In our state, this is unacceptable.”

Drugs are now the leading cause of death for Americans under 50, resulting in the first decline in American life expectancy since 1993. Deaths resulting from drug overdose increased 20 percent between 2014 and 2015 to more than 2,300 in one year in New York — more than twice the number of motor vehicle fatalities.

The U.S. Senate is expected to act on its version of the GOP health care bill next week. The House already approved its version earlier this year. If the Senate has enough votes to move its bill forward, the two legislative bodies will have to reconcile the differences in each version before final passage and moving it onto the president’s desk for his signature.

A conference call with Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) and regional media representatives. Held Tuesday morning, June 27, 2017.

Congressman Tom Reed discusses his effort to increase support for business incubators in the 23rd district, and also fields several questions from media representatives, including the ongoing effort by Congressional Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with the American Health Care Act.

NOTE: This conference call took place prior to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s announcement that the Senate will wait until after the July 4 recess to act on its health care legislation.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

Donald Trump

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to repeal and replace “Obamacare” is now in the hands of a key group of GOP senators who are opposing -or not yet supporting – legislation Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing to bring to a vote this week.

These lawmakers range from moderate to conservative Republicans, and include senators who were just re-elected and a couple facing tough re-election fights. Their concerns about the legislation vary along with their ideology, from those who say it’s overly punitive in ejecting people from the insurance rolls, to others who say it doesn’t go far enough in dismantling former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine tweeted after the Congressional Budget Office analysis on Monday that the Senate bill won’t fix the flaws in the current bill. She says she will vote no on the “motion to proceed.”

Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin says he has “a hard time believing I’ll have enough information for me to support a motion to proceed this week.”

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky says it’s worse to “pass a bad bill than to pass no bill.”

CUOMO WEIGHS IN ON SENATE HEALTHCARE BILL

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo (left) and Congressman Tom Reed (right)

Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo hasn’t been shy about voicing his criticism of the Senate version of the health care bill. In a statement released Monday following an assessment report released by the Congressional Budget Office on the Senate Plan, the governor said the report shows that Republicans in the Senate are choosing to put millionaires over the middle class, cutting taxes for the rich at the expense of the health care of millions of Americans.

“This bill will leave 22 million more Americans without health care coverage, including 15 million more Americans by next year alone,” The governor noted. “Just like the House bill, this legislation is a death trap for New Yorkers. The Senate bill will jeopardize health care coverage for millions of New Yorkers, raise premiums on the poor and the elderly, and eliminate more than $7 billion for New York’s health care system, including life-saving funding for the fight against the opioid crisis. It also specifically targets New York, threatening to withhold federal tax credits for New Yorkers because of our support for women’s reproductive rights.”

He also said that the inclusion of the Faso-Collins amendment – which aims to eliminate the local contribution counties pay the state to help cover the cost of Medicaid – would force every resident to pay more through a new state tax.

“And by including the reckless Faso-Collins amendment, this bill will force every resident of this state to pay a ‘Faso-Collins Federal Tax’ added onto local property taxes to make up the $2.3 billion shortfall created by their proposal,” The governor noted.

Cuomo said he’s already called on the state’s Congressional delegation to do everything within their means to protect New York residents and not support the measures. However, Chautauqua County’s representative in Congress, Republican Tom Reed of Corning, released a statement critical of the governor, calling him a liar and a bully who’s done nothing for upstate New York.

“Governor Cuomo is a liar who has done nothing for upstate New York,” Reed said. “He’s a one trick pony for whom everything is an excuse to raise taxes. He needs to buck up like other governors and start reining in the cost of Medicaid and figure out more efficient ways of spending the taxpayers’ money. Instead, he acts like a bully and threatens a tax hike on middle class families.  I’d like to see Gov. Cuomo run for president owning the highest tax increase in America.”