Congressman Ed Towns, District 10, New York

As always the seasons change, fall TV programming and/or Football returns and… people seem to have moved on.

Well I haven’t. Congress works for me.

I sent an email to Ed Towns my congressional representative concerning health care reform and what he’s doing about it.

Map Outlining New York's 10th Congressional District

I thought I’d share his response (for the readers in the area and those just generally concerned).

It looks like a standardized response letter but does provide some information and a departure point for a conversation between his office and myself.

Read and discuss.

Dear Mr. Davis:

Thank you for contacting me regarding your interest in health care reform, I appreciate this opportunity to familiarize myself with your views as it allows me to better represent you in the Congress. I want to share with you the efforts the Democratic Congress is making to increase the affordability and availability of health care for Americans.

On Friday, July 31, The Energy and Commerce Committee approved H.R. 3200, “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act,” by a vote of 31 to 28. If passed in its current form by the House of Representatives, this legislation would make insurance market reforms that will protect consumers, expand access to quality and affordable health care, and encourage competition among insurance plans to improve choices for patients. The legislation is predicted to have the following impact on the 10th Congressional District of New York:

· Help for small businesses. There are up to 11,400 small businesses in the district that would qualify for a tax credit of up to 50 percent of the costs of providing health insurance to their employees.

· Health care and financial security. This legislation would cap annual out-of-pocket costs at $10,000 ensuring that no citizen will have to face financial ruin because of high health care costs.

· Coverage of the uninsured. There are 81,000 uninsured individuals in our district, 12 percent of the district. Under this legislation, 61,000 people who currently do not have health insurance will receive coverage.

· Help for seniors with drug costs. This legislation would provide immediate relief for seniors by cutting brand name drug costs in the Medicare Part D donut hole by 50 percent. Each year, 5,300 seniors in our district hit the donut hole and are forced to pay their full drug costs.

· No deficit spending. The cost of health care reform under the legislation is fully paid for: half through making the Medicare and Medicaid program more efficient and half through surtax on the income of the wealthiest individuals. The surtax would not affect 99.7% of taxpayers in our district.

This year provides us with a historic opportunity to make health care more affordable for American workers and more accessible for all Americans. Again, thank you for contacting me on this important subject. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future on any matter.