Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Protesters show support for ACA
Supporters of the Affordable Care Act are urging Republicans not to repeal it
A couple hundred people once again lined Sproul Road Saturday, calling upon U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-7, of Chadds Ford to support the Affordable Care Act and questioning if Republican leaders’ words can be trusted.
Holding a bullhorn, Springfield nurse practitioner Mackenzie Houser questioned the process.
“The GOP is asking us to trust them as they repeal the ACA and work towards a replacement,” she said. “The president says to trust
him, the coverage for preexisting conditions will not be eliminated. But do we trust them?”
“No!” the crowds responded.
“What have they done to earn our trust?” Houser asked. “Over the past seven years, Republicans have voted to repeal the ACA over 50 times … They are no closer to having a plan to replace it.”
Since President Donald Trump took office a little over three weeks ago, protests have erupted throughout the country ranging from maintaining the Affordable Care Act to concerns for immigrants’ rights to women’s right to choose abortion.
The protest Saturday was the second at Meehan’s office since the presidential inauguration and focused on the repeal of the ACA.
The representative even as far as three years ago noted the benefits of the ACA to include coverage for those with pre-existing conditions and children up to 26-years-old on their parents’ plan.
John Elizandro, Meehan’s communications director, noted the representative’s interaction with district residents.
“Congressman Meehan continues to engage with his constituents on this issue in a variety of formats
from in-person meetings to business visits to conference calls to telephone town hall meetings to written and email correspondence,” Elizandro said. “Just yesterday he met personally with his former opponent’s campaign treasurer on exactly this topic because he values the views of all his constituents, regardless of their party affiliation. I’d note this is the third time in six weeks the Daily Times’ Sunday edition has covered the same demonstration, on the same topic, by the same activists, with the same issues, at the same place, at the same time and on the same day of the week.”
About 150 also congregated in front of the Historic Chester County Courthouse Saturday, urging U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, R-6, of West Goshen, to support the ACA.
Anne Pombrekas of Chester County was concerned for her daughter who is a breast cancer survivor who recently lost her job.
“She will not able to afford health care if the ACA is repealed,” she said. “Preexisting conditions and caps on policies will make the cost prohibitive … (It’s) unacceptable to vote against the ACA when there is no viable and fair replacement.”
Back in Springfield, Helen Ting of Haverford held a sign, “Repair Not Replace.”
A 36-year internist, she said the ACA does need some changes – but not elimination.
“It could use some help with costs but it made a huge difference in access for my patients,” she said.
Pointing to a Pennsyvlania Health Funders Collaborative report, Ting noted 70,322 adults and children in the 7th Congressional District would lose heath care coverage if the ACA is repealed.
“To repeal it is a terrible idea,” she said.
Houser said many stand to lose by the changes.
“Almost a million people in Pennsylvania could lose their health insurance if the ACA is repealed, and tens of thousands of them live right here in the 7th District,” she said.
Houser asked for the representative to reconsider.
“Today we are here again pleading with Congressman Meehan to hear us: Don’t take away our ACA,” she said as the crowds began to chant, “Don’t take away our ACA.”
Tarik Khan, a nurse practitioner at Family Practice and Counseling Network, locations in Philadelphia and York, said 3,000 of the 23,000 people served by his firm would lose coverage if the ACA is repealed.
“The Affordable Care Act has been a godsend for our patients,” he said.
He warned that a repeal would result in insurance companies enacting large rate increases.
“We will lose 1.1 million American jobs,” Khan said, adding that would include positions at his center. “We’re going to lose $1 trillion from our economy a year. We’re also going to lost five American lives every hour. That’s over 44,000 preventable deaths a year. In short, with the repeal of Obamacare, we lose too much.”
Khan said it’s not about politics.
“On a day-to-day basis as a health care provider, I don’t see politics. I see people who need help and I see how Obamacare has helped them,” he said. “This is more than a political issue for us. It’s a human rights issue.”
“On a day-to-day basis as a health care provider, I don’t see politics. I see people who need help and I see how Obamacare has helped them. This is more than a political issue for us. It’s a human rights issue.” — Tarik Khan, a nurse practitioner at Family Practice and Counseling Network