Residents and Faculty of the Institute’s Mid-Hudson Residency Program Meet with Congressman, John Faso
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Residents and Faculty of the Institute’s Mid-Hudson Residency Program Meet with Congressman, John Faso

April 12, 2017

Mid-Hudson residents pose for a photo with U.S. Rep. John Faso (center).

 

Late last month, a group of about 40 medical professionals, including residents and faculty from the Institute’s Mid-Hudson Family Medicine Program, met in private with U.S. Rep. John Faso, who represents New York’s 19th congressional. The group met at the Broadway Campus of the Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston.  At the time, the bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it was up for vote in the House.  Mr. Faso had publicly supported the bill to repeal, so the group’s intention was to  share opinions and advice about federal health care policy, telling the first-term congressman, among other things, that they worry about people losing health-care coverage under any Republican plan that replaces the Affordable Care Act.

“I was pleased to meet with him as a group because I feel the more members we had present, the more voices had power and it was more significant. There were about six residents that were there. I do feel he took us seriously and was more receptive to what we had to say,” explained second year resident and co-chief resident, Dr. Hilary Schroeder

“We want to be a physician voice to help him understand health care in his district. The 19th district is quite large and we had doctors from all over the district. We are all in favor of affordable health care and most of us want to see a single-payer system,” said Dr. Mark Josefski, faculty of the Mid-Hudson residency program.  He continued, “We got him to agree that a universal, affordable, accessible health care system is the goal. We wanted to present the need for primary care , best represented by family medicine,  as the linchpin for any health care system that is on the table. He subsequently agreed to sign on  to the Teaching Health Centers bill that’s before Congress.”