Troy Record
Troy, NY
http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2009/08/20/news/doc4a8da0fe0e017534421255.txt
ALBANY — There was a rally in front of the Leo W. O’Brien Federal Building this morning to get the attention of area representatives so that they could work aggressively to pass a health care reform bill with a public option.
“Over the past few days, the importance of the public option to health care reform has been downplayed and Americans are not going to stand idly by while they watch real reform slip away with the dismissal of the public option,” said Chris Scoville with Citizen Action of New York.
He discussed how President Barack Obama has pushed for such an option to be made available. This, however, has been met with some opposition.
Of the dozens of area residents at the rally, some shared their own horror stories of dealing with health insurance agencies. Beverly Padgett of Arbor Hill was denied Medicaid and Family Health Plus coverage several months ago but then she ended up being hospitalized for 11 days in late July due to diabetes complications. She has now been accepted into the programs she was previously told she did not qualify for but she still owes the hospital tens of thousands of dollars.
“What could have been taken care of with preventative medications and a couple hundred dollars has turned into owing thousands,” she said at the press conference.
Others at the event included Ron Deutsch with New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, state Sen. Neil Breslin, and U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko.
Tonko said, “This is a train wreck waiting to happen. In November, our voters asked for reforms and we need to move forward aggressively to pass those reforms.”
