Westchester County Business Journal 112116

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9 | LAW CLINIC ON TAP NOVEMBER 21, 2016 | VOL. 52, No. 47

21 | STUDENT BURDEN

YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

HANDS-ON LEARNING SEE PAGE 22

westfaironline.com

Region’s business leaders weigh in on Trump presidency – and wait BY RYAN DEFFENBAUGH rdeffenbaugh@westfairinc.com

W

ith President-elect Donald Trump set to take office as the 45th president of the U.S. in January, business leaders in Westchester and the Hudson Valley are still waiting to hear more about what to expect from his administration. The Business Journal interviewed several businesses and industry groups to gauge the intitial reactions to Trump’s incoming administration on several key issues. Health care With Trump in office and a Republicancontrolled Congress that has already voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act dozens of times, at least some changes are likely in store for President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. Trump pointed to insurance premiums on midlevel plans rising by an average of 25 percent as reason enough to repeal the law. While he has released a plan for its replacement that involves health savings accounts, selling health insurance across state lines and allowing individuals to deduct health expenses, experts in the health care field are still waiting to hear

more on what to expect. Uncertainty in the health care industry is hardly new, according to Kevin Dahill, president and CEO of the Northern Metropolitan Hospital Association. NorMet represents 14 hospitals in Westchester and 29 in all across the Hudson Valley. “Health care policy in this country does shift with political winds and it has for years, and that’s what can make it a difficult industry to operate in,” Dahill said. Dahill said he has noticed some moderation of Trump’s campaign views since he was elected, including an interview where he said he will consider leaving provisions of the Affordable Care Act that prohibit insurers from denying coverage to a patient because of pre-existing conditions, along with a provision that allows parents to keep their children on their plans until they are 26. “It looks like now there will be a little bit more of a moderate approach,” he said. “I for one don’t think they will take insurance from 20 million people on the federal level, and in New York State it’s 2.8 million. I don’t see a scenario where they revoke that coverage.” But Dahill said he could see a scenario where incentives for purchasing insur» » TRUMP, page 2

Ulster Savings Bank accused of racial discrimination in mortgage lending BY BILL HELTZEL Westchester Children’s Museum Executive Director Tracy Kay stands with a museum exhibit that allows visitors to create their own roller coaster. Photo by Aleesia Forni.

bheltzel@westfairinc.com

A NEW YORK CITY CIVIL rights group claims that Ulster Savings Bank discriminates against African-Americans shopping for home mortgages. The Fair Housing Justice Center in Long Island City on Nov. 4 sued the bank in U.S. District Court in White Plains under the Federal Fair Housing Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The noprofit housing group con-

ducted a two-year investigation in which pairs of white and black testers posed as first-time homebuyers seeking loans. The black testers presented stronger financial credentials. Yet black testers were told they qualified for smaller loans than their white counterparts, according to the lawsuit. They also were presented with higher fees and were discouraged from looking for houses in predominantly white towns. » » BANK, page 6


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