Republicans Dodge Constituents on the ACA
While thousands of Americans across the country are speaking out against Republicans efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Republicans back home are hiding from their constituents. The reason? They still don’t have a real plan to replace the law, and they refuse to answer to the millions of Americans who stand to lose coverage and see their costs go up.
“After Sen. Thom Tillis said he would be talking to constituents live on Facebook Wednesday, more than 200 people submitted questions — many of them pointed queries about his views on health care.”
“While Tillis’s office had advertised a 30-minute event, the senator ultimately appeared on camera for 11 minutes, answering eight questions read to him by a staff member.”
“Tillis did not acknowledge any of the follow-up questions that popped up in the comments alongside his video, including requests for more details on the GOP replacement plan.”
“Since Congress took its first steps to unwind the ACA, Republicans have been publicly confronted by constituents...”
“Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) was greeted by more than 150 people at a ‘one-on-one’ constituent event Saturday at a library in the Denver suburbs — generating footage of chanting, singing and Coffman leaving the event out of a back door.”
“On Monday, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers(R-Wash.) — the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference — encountered shouts of ‘save our health care’ as she addressed a Martin Luther King Day event in her district.”
“And during a nationally televised town hall event last week, an Arizona cancer survivor told House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) that because of the Obama health-care reforms, ‘I’m standing here today alive.’”
“‘Why would you repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement?’ the man, Jeff Jeans, asked Ryan.”
“Republicans have plenty of constituents who stand to be affected by changes to the ACA: According to a recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Republican districts combined contain 6.3 million Obama marketplace enrollees versus the 5.2 million in Democratic districts. Millions more are covered under the expansion of Medicaid.”