by Bea Peterson
On Tuesday, October 5, Congressman Scott Murphy’s staff hosted “Congressional Field Offices” in Castleton-on-Hudson, Averill Park, Nassau, Poestenkill, Brunswick, Pittstown, Schaghticoke, Petersburgh, Hoosick Falls, Stephentown, Berlin and Grafton.
Morgan Jones was the Legislative Assistant who visited Hoosick Falls. Marilyn Douglas, Margaret Casey and Shelley Stiles were there to talk with him. Casey and Stiles were looking for Murphy’s help to
arrange for a meeting between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and local Greenway supporters to resolve the issue of putting a hard surface on the flood wall. Casey said, “Both groups say it sounds like a good idea, but they tell us to get approval from the other group!” They believe a meeting with the two government agencies present would resolve the situation. Jones agreed to pursue their request.
Health Care
Douglas told Jones she was very concerned about women not being covered for mammograms under the new Health Care plan. Casey and Jones both said if a doctor recommends one, the cost will be covered by medicare. But, in many instances it will not be recommended because evidence has shown that having them often is not worth the cost. Jones, who has been working with Murphy on health care issues, said the system has been patched together for the past 60 years and something needed to be done. He said that at the core of the plan is fiscal responsibility. He added that the way payments were made in the past drove costs up. In other instances sixty billion dollars has been lost through fraud. All this needed to change. Though he generalized much of the new plan, he assured Douglas and the others, for example, that people who require emergency treatment out of their coverage area will not be penalized for receiving that care.
Just before Jones’ hour in Hoosick Falls was up, Leon Barkley, a realtor from Cambridge, arrived to discuss a proposal he had to offer the Congressman on ways to stimulate home sales. Jones took the proposal with him.