Small rally at Capitol slams Obamacare repeal vote
One demonstrator fears future without availability of ACA.
Rachel Graham stood on the sidewalk just beyond the south gates of the Texas Capitol, protesting not what she had to lose, but what the future could hold.
Her husband, Scott, is a Type 1 diabetic. His body can’t process sugar, not because of a love of CocaCola or sweets, but because of his genes. It’s the quintessential pre-existing condition.
The couple are fortunate enough to have health insurance through work at the moment, but they fear what could happen if they both lost their jobs in a world where the protections provided by the Affordable Care Act no longer exist.
“Every day, he has to check his blood sugar like eight times a day; he has to give himself shots; he has to watch his intake of carbs and exercise and keep his health up,” Graham, 40, said. “And despite the fact he does all that, we’re really aware that this is probably the thing that’s going to kill him someday.”
She added, “We have to make sure we never have a lapse in coverage.”
She was one of about 15 protesters who took to the sidewalk during the lunch hour Friday to vent their frustration and anger with President Donald Trump and the Republican-led U.S. House over a bill the House approved Thursday to overhaul health care.
“Since the Trump inauguration, I’ve been very active,” said demonstrator Louise Nelson, 54. “I’m very concerned about the direction the country is heading in.”
What they lacked in number, the protesters made up in enthusiasm — waving signs, shouting and getting honks from cars that were driving by.
The small protest came just a day after House Republicans in Washington, D.C., fulfilled a campaign promise by narrowly approving legislation that would dramatically change and scale back the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature domestic accomplishment.
The bill — backed by Trump, who held a victory rally Thursday with lawmakers in the Rose Garden — now heads to the U.S. Senate where it has received a frosty reception.
It’s unclear how much the proposal would cost or how many people it would affect. The Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the legislation wasn’t yet available when the House approved it.
Critics of the Republican legislation say it would undermine consumer protections for those with pre-existing medical conditions; significantly cut access to Medicaid and could weaken employer-provided health care coverage.
Republicans counter that the ACA — commonly known as “Obamacare” — costs too much money and that its insurance exchanges are struggling to attract providers.
A New York Times analysis found that the ACA dramatically cut the number of uninsured in the country, but that health insurance remains expensive, complex and confusing.