Rep. Faso, we need some town hall meetings

Dear Editor: I just received U.S. Rep. John Faso’s Constituent Guide and wish to respond:

• H.R. 1871 Property Tax Reduction Act: Mr. Faso, R-Kinderhook, claims that the 19th district pays $224 million in county taxes to support Medicaid. So if we no longer have to pay that county tax, who does? He claims that by doing so, taxpayers will save from $275 to $500 dollars a year. I am willing to pay that amount to help a family with a loved one in a nursing home, for a specialneeds child who needs services in our schools, and a single parent who works at a job that does not provide health insurance, who, thanks to Medicaid expansion, can finally afford health care.

• Mr. Faso says insurance companies cannot deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. You can buy it, but can you afford it? Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-New Jersey, would let states waive the requirement that insurers sell policies to people with prior health problems and not charge them higher prices.

• Mr. Faso says no member of Congress is exempt from changes to the law. That might be true, but Mr. Faso has health care from a previous job. I would imagine he is pretty pleased about that.

• Mr. Faso says a total of $138 billion was included to cover health-related costs, including maternity care, mental health, opioid abuse treatment and to help lower premiums and deductibles. He failed to mention that is over a 10-year period. Experts say that is far to little: Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation (a group that Faso recommended we use to evaluate the health care bill) estimates it would take at least $25 billion a year.

• Mr. Faso says health care tax credits for those who do not have employer-related insurance would range between $2,000 and $14,000, depending on age and family size. Details? I am trying to imagine what health insurance would be provided that cost $2,000.

What was left out is equally as important. Mr. Faso stated in a letter to me in January, “Let me be clear: Reform and replacement of the ACA will take place only after full congressional debate and public input.”

Mr. Faso also stated in a letter to me in February, “I do not support efforts to defund Planned Parenthood or any other vital nonprofit health care organization that are operated and subsidized lawfully.”

We need some town hall meetings. Nancy Guski Red Hook, N.Y.