NEW YORK—When his elderly patients found out he was running for Congress, some of them asked Dr. James Milano, “If you win, doc, what are you going to do? Are you going to cut my Medicare?”
“I’m not the one who cut your Medicare,” Milano told them. “The current Congress cuts your Medicare. I’m going to make sure we restore it.”
Milano, a Republican, has been an emergency physician at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, Queens, for the last 10 years and is now making a debut on the political stage at age 43. His opponent in District 5, Democrat Gary Ackerman, 67, has held his post as congressman since 1982.
Though the New York Times has ranked District 5 in Queens “solid Democratic,” Milano remains optimistic that his constituents are ready for change. His opposition to Obama’s health care bill and his frustration with what he sees as restrictions that are choking the economy motivated Milano to step out of the hospital and into the congressional race.
Milano’s prescription: lift restrictions and allow the free market to take its course.
“I’ll give you an example, Maine has only two insurance carriers. If you allow (people) to buy across state lines and now they have 200 insurance companies to choose from, that’s competition—that’s going to drive down costs. If you are the only act in town, you get to charge whatever you want,” said Milano.
Where Milano argues for decreased regulation to bring down premiums, Obama proposes increased regulation to force lower premiums. A new Health Insurance Rate Authority will be created to review rate increases and decide whether they are reasonable or not, according to the president’s proposal.
Dr. Milano renounces limitations placed on purchasing group insurance. Only businesses are allowed to purchase group insurance, he explained, which is available for a lower rate than individual plans. Milano argues that if individuals could band together to buy in bulk, the burden of providing health insurance for employees would not weigh as heavily on the shoulders of small business owners.
Many workers could afford to cover themselves at a discounted group rate. Those who could not afford even this lower rate still have Medicaid, said Milano.
Obama’s reforms do include a budget for $40 billion in tax credits this year for small businesses to support coverage for their workers. Businesses with less than 50 employees are exempt from any responsibility for providing health insurance for their employees. Businesses with more than 50 employees that do not offer coverage must pay $2,000 per employee per year to defray the cost to taxpayers.
Health care reform is not his only area of concern as he prepares for a foray into public office. Milano has witnessed the closing of many small businesses along Northern Boulevard in his district.
“The country is in crisis right now. The economics aren’t good for anyone. It’s not good for any community,” said Milano.
Increasing taxes and bureaucratic rules and regulations that drive up administrative fees for businesses are among the reasons Milano cites for the shop vacancies on Northern Boulevard.
He gives the following example: if a business spends over $600 to a particular company, they have to file a tax form called a 1099, so that company can claim the income from the transaction. “It generates extra paper work, extra costs, because their accountant is going to charge them for it. If (a company) buys $601 worth of business supplies from Staples, (they) have to issue a 1099.”
Milano rails against heavy taxation relative to higher income, and describes this as a downfall of liberalism. He hopes the current rise of conservatism will rectify it.
“Conservatism is what allows you to do what you want. Conservatism says, ‘keep your own money, don’t be regulated by government agencies!’ That’s where freedom comes (from),” exclaimed the congressional hopeful.
Milano is a Republican and certainly has a conservative bent, but is running for office first and foremost as a citizen wishing to have more control over his own destiny.
“I don’t label myself as anything. I label myself as a realist. I don’t want people telling me where I can live, [or] how much money I’m allowed to make. I’m allowed to make as much money as I’m able to. If God gives me the ability to make a lot of money because I work hard, then that’s what I deserve.”
Though Dr. James Milano advocates for increased freedom and decreased regulation, when it comes to illegal immigration, he calls for strict enforcement of the rules.
He uses a medical analogy: “I’m an emergency room physician. Someone comes into the hospital, they’re bleeding, what’s the first thing I do? I put direct pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding before the person dies. It’s the same with our borders. People are coming in illegally. The first thing you do is enforce the border, whether by fence or patrol.”
Though he takes a hard line on illegal immigration, Milano is very supportive of immigrants who have followed the lawful procedures for entering the country. Milano intends to set up his office in Flushing, a part of his district with a large Chinese population. He said he will have bilingual staff that will help immigrants on the path to becoming citizens, a process he hopes will become quicker.
“I’m not the one who cut your Medicare,” Milano told them. “The current Congress cuts your Medicare. I’m going to make sure we restore it.”
Milano, a Republican, has been an emergency physician at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, Queens, for the last 10 years and is now making a debut on the political stage at age 43. His opponent in District 5, Democrat Gary Ackerman, 67, has held his post as congressman since 1982.
Though the New York Times has ranked District 5 in Queens “solid Democratic,” Milano remains optimistic that his constituents are ready for change. His opposition to Obama’s health care bill and his frustration with what he sees as restrictions that are choking the economy motivated Milano to step out of the hospital and into the congressional race.
Milano’s prescription: lift restrictions and allow the free market to take its course.
“I’ll give you an example, Maine has only two insurance carriers. If you allow (people) to buy across state lines and now they have 200 insurance companies to choose from, that’s competition—that’s going to drive down costs. If you are the only act in town, you get to charge whatever you want,” said Milano.
Where Milano argues for decreased regulation to bring down premiums, Obama proposes increased regulation to force lower premiums. A new Health Insurance Rate Authority will be created to review rate increases and decide whether they are reasonable or not, according to the president’s proposal.
Dr. Milano renounces limitations placed on purchasing group insurance. Only businesses are allowed to purchase group insurance, he explained, which is available for a lower rate than individual plans. Milano argues that if individuals could band together to buy in bulk, the burden of providing health insurance for employees would not weigh as heavily on the shoulders of small business owners.
Many workers could afford to cover themselves at a discounted group rate. Those who could not afford even this lower rate still have Medicaid, said Milano.
Obama’s reforms do include a budget for $40 billion in tax credits this year for small businesses to support coverage for their workers. Businesses with less than 50 employees are exempt from any responsibility for providing health insurance for their employees. Businesses with more than 50 employees that do not offer coverage must pay $2,000 per employee per year to defray the cost to taxpayers.
Health care reform is not his only area of concern as he prepares for a foray into public office. Milano has witnessed the closing of many small businesses along Northern Boulevard in his district.
“The country is in crisis right now. The economics aren’t good for anyone. It’s not good for any community,” said Milano.
Increasing taxes and bureaucratic rules and regulations that drive up administrative fees for businesses are among the reasons Milano cites for the shop vacancies on Northern Boulevard.
He gives the following example: if a business spends over $600 to a particular company, they have to file a tax form called a 1099, so that company can claim the income from the transaction. “It generates extra paper work, extra costs, because their accountant is going to charge them for it. If (a company) buys $601 worth of business supplies from Staples, (they) have to issue a 1099.”
Milano rails against heavy taxation relative to higher income, and describes this as a downfall of liberalism. He hopes the current rise of conservatism will rectify it.
“Conservatism is what allows you to do what you want. Conservatism says, ‘keep your own money, don’t be regulated by government agencies!’ That’s where freedom comes (from),” exclaimed the congressional hopeful.
Milano is a Republican and certainly has a conservative bent, but is running for office first and foremost as a citizen wishing to have more control over his own destiny.
“I don’t label myself as anything. I label myself as a realist. I don’t want people telling me where I can live, [or] how much money I’m allowed to make. I’m allowed to make as much money as I’m able to. If God gives me the ability to make a lot of money because I work hard, then that’s what I deserve.”
Though Dr. James Milano advocates for increased freedom and decreased regulation, when it comes to illegal immigration, he calls for strict enforcement of the rules.
He uses a medical analogy: “I’m an emergency room physician. Someone comes into the hospital, they’re bleeding, what’s the first thing I do? I put direct pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding before the person dies. It’s the same with our borders. People are coming in illegally. The first thing you do is enforce the border, whether by fence or patrol.”
Though he takes a hard line on illegal immigration, Milano is very supportive of immigrants who have followed the lawful procedures for entering the country. Milano intends to set up his office in Flushing, a part of his district with a large Chinese population. He said he will have bilingual staff that will help immigrants on the path to becoming citizens, a process he hopes will become quicker.
