To the Editor:

I recently listened to NCPR interviews of Blake Gendebien and Anthony Constantino.  

When speaking with Mr. Constanino, the interviewer mentioned that the North country, NY-21 is a health care desert, and that a recent report from the University of North Carolina indicates that five hospitals in our district will be at risk of shuttering services, converting, or closing when the One Big Beautiful BIll Act’s Medicaid changes go into effect (after the mid-term elections).  

She asked Mr. Constantino what Washington needs to do to stem those potential impacts to address our health care desert.  

In his response, Mr. Constantino suggested that we need to transition to “more remote care”. He explained that he pays “out of pocket” to interact with his personal physician remotely, and added that “80% of medical situations can be addressed via a phone call now or via Face Time…” When asked where he got the 80% statistic, Constantino responded, “I mean I’m just roughly estimating based on my own- you know, the 80-20 rule”.  

This response is nonsense and completely out of touch with our District’s needs. First, Mr. Constantino is a wealthy individual who can afford “out of pocket” medical expenses.  Paying out of pocket is simply not realistic for the majority of us. Further, what does he mean by this 80-20 rule?  And, how does that rule justify a made-up statistic that 80% of medical decisions can be made remotely? How would remote care help residents who don’t know how to independently access it? And, when direct medical intervention is necessary, how does Mr. Constantino’s proposed solution helps if hospitals and physicians are not available to us?

Mr. Genebien was asked the same question regarding health care and hospital closures. His response contrasted sharply with Mr. Constantino’s. Mr. Gendebien referred to three issues identified through his participation in a healthcare round table discussion: the need for more primary care physicians, better rural transportation, and supported EMS services. The impending Medicaid cuts will only make healthcare access more difficult. Mr. Gendebien discussed additional impacts, as well as approaches to solving this problem (including voting to roll back the Medicaid cuts).

I encourage readers to listen to both interviews (www.ncpr.org) and hear for yourself.  President Trump and his administration's policies have hurt the North Country. As Mr. Constantino states in his interview, he is proud to support and align himself with President Trump. Blake Gendebien understands his role as a member of congress: to identify and fight for the needs of his NY District 21 constituents. 

Lianne Knight

Colton