Family Planning of South Central New York Director Deb Marcus, right, expresses concerns about proposed Obamacare reforms to U.S. Rep. John Faso, R-19, at a meeting this afternoon in state Sen. Jim Seward’s Oneonta office. Others, from left, are county Rep. Gary Koutnik, D-Oneonta, the state Hospital Association’s Bill Streck, Antoinette Kuzminski, retired Bassett physician lobbying for a single-payer approach, Wayne Mellor of Fly Creek, Judy Fleischer of Oneonta, a former nurse and health-insurance broker, and Springbrook CEO Patricia Kennedy. (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)
By IAN AUSTIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
Faso at this afternoon’s discussion.
ONEONTA – U.S. Rep. John Faso, R-19, heard concerns of key local players in the national healthcare debate this afternoon, and the two sides appeared to politely disagree on a future course of action.
“We have fundamental concerns that it” – the Obamacare revision being revived in Congress – “will not be an improvement over the current ACA.” said Bill Streck, retired Bassett Healthcare president, now director of innovation for the state Hospital Association (HANYS). “From our analysis, 200-700 thousand people would be at risk along with healthcare in our region.”
SHARE: News of Cooperstown, Oneonta, and Otsego County, NY.
A panel discussion wraps up “Activism 101,” featuring consultant Leslie Berliant of Savor the Success, a consultancy for women entrepreneurs. The workshop this afternoon at Oneonta’s Unitarian Universalist Church sought to help participants channel energies released by the Jan. 21 Women’s March in Washington D.C. (and related local marches in Oneonta and Cooperstown). Jessica Carroll, a Standing Rock anti-pipeline activist, right, makes a point as other panelists prepare to add their inputs. From left are Berliant, Laurie Zimniewicz, a community leader; Deb Marcus, executive director, Family Planning of South Central New York; Colleen Blalock, who helped organize the local march; and Shinique Smith and Jordan Skeete of SUNY Oneonta’s Divine Leaders, an organization that seeks self-empowerment and social justice. More than 100 community members participated. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.c0m)
SHARE: News of Cooperstown, Oneonta, and Otsego County, NY.
