Thousands of Western New Yorkers are receiving letters from the federal government saying they will need to drop their current health insurance coverage. Southern Tier Congressman Tom Reed, republican for the 23rd Congressional District of New York said he's received numerous complaints from constituents.
Congressman Reed is opposed to the Affordable Care Act. He even predicts problems could get worse as Americans -- who are required to sign up -- scramble to find new health care coverage.
Reed believes the problems extend beyond the website.
"When you talk about such a personal topic as healthcare, I totally empathize. And I want to work hand-in-hand with those individuals as best we can," Reed told a conference call of reporters.
"But the problem I see is that this law's implementation is just the beginning of that 'train wreck,' that (Senator) Max Baucus describes it as ."
Citizens in our state are also being pointed to the New York Healthcare Exchange to sign up for coverage. But Reed insisted that site has some log in issues as well.
"When I was on the New York State website, it booted me out five times. And I had to restart the process five times before I could get the account established," said Reed.
A reporter pressed Reed, accusing him of sending citizens to the federal site that doesn't work
"I think New York (the health carfe exchange website) has some bugs in it. Not to the extent of Healthcare.org," said Reed, insisting that he works to point citizens in right direction of their exact needs.