Blumenthal says fate of Obamacare is on the line
On the first day of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judicary Committee, Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined fellow Democrats and warned that the Affordable Care Act’s future is in jeopardy if she is confirmed to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Your nomination is about the Republican goal of repealing the Affordable Care Act, the Obamacare they seem to detest so much,’’ Blumenthal told Barrett Monday morning, the first day of her confirmation hearing. “Repub
licans have turned again to the court to try achieve judicially what they cannot achieve legislatively. President Trump has vowed any judge he nominates would pass the very strong test, his words, and that they would strike down the Affordable Care Act.”
Democrats are in the minority in the Senate and are unlikely to stop Barrett’s elevation to the Supreme Court. But they opened the hearing Monday by highlighting access to health care, as well as legalized abortion, gun control and other issues.
Like several of his colleagues, Blumenthal sought to put a personal face on the Affordable Care Act, the landmark 2010 overhaul that allowed millions of Americans to access health care, regardless of whether they have a pre-existing medical condition.
Bl u menthal highlighted Conner, a 10-yearold from Ridgefield who has Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.
“It is a horrible, incurable disease,’’ Blumenthal said. “It slowly deprives children of their strength and their ability to move, eventually it robs them of their lives. The
cost of providing Connor’s care are astronomical but for Connor and his family, it is worth every penny.’’
The Affordable Care Act “has shielded Connor and his family from arbitrary caps on coverage that would have cut off his care when it became too expensive,’’ Blumenthal said. “It has protected Connor from losing insurance because of this insidious disease that he never caused and chose.’’
Barrett, a conservative, is Trump’s nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the liberal justice who died last month. If she’s confirmed, Barrett would be on the Supreme Court in time to participate in a case on the constitutionality of
Obamacare, which is scheduled to be argued on Nov. 10.
Trump has repeatedly sought to have the law overturned. On Monday, he said on Twitter that he supports a replacement that is superior.
“We will have Healthcare which is FAR BETTER than ObamaCare, at a FAR LOWER COST - BIG PREMIUM REDUCTION. PEOPLE WITH PRE EXISTING CONDITIONS WILL BE PROTECTED AT AN EVEN HIGHER LEVEL THAN NOW. HIGHLY UNPOPULAR AND UNFAIR INDIVIDUAL MANDATE ALREADY TERMINATED. YOU’RE WELCOME!” Trump tweeted.
The president also once again attacked Blumenthal, a former Marine reservist who was heard on video in 2008 incorrectly stating that he served in Vietnam during the war, when in fact he did not.
“So Crazy to watch Senator Blumenthal of Connecticut lecture all on morals & ethics when for 25 years he said he was a Great War Hero in Vietnam, and he was never even there,’’ Trump said. “He lied & cheated right up until the day he got caught. Thank you to those in military who turned him in!”