As Republicans inch ever precariously closer to repealing Obamacare, many of the 20 million Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act (or those who care about basic human rights in general) have been making impassioned pleas on social media or by calling their congresspeople to save their health care. One such voice was heard at a CNN sponsored town hall meeting featuring Paul Ryan Thursday evening.
Jeff Jeans of Sedona, Arizona, described himself as a Republican who worked for both the Reagan and Bush campaigns, and who vehemently objected to Obamacare when it was first introduced, even threatening to close his small business as a way of refusing to comply. That all changed, however, when at 49-years-old Jeans was diagnosed with cancer and given only six weeks to live without treatment.
It was then that the legislation he had fought so hard against saved his life.
We offered three times the cost of my treatments, which was rejected. They required an insurance card. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, I’m standing here today alive. Being both a small business person and someone with preexisting conditions, I rely on the Affordable Care Act to be able to purchase my own insurance.
Why would you repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement?
Ryan responded to the man, insisting at length that the GOP doesn’t intend to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. But unfortunately, there’s still just one problem with that, as Senator Al Franken pointed out yesterday.
I voted no on a GOP resolution to begin gutting #ACA last night bc this is the replacement plan the Republicans have presented to Americans: pic.twitter.com/D3XNqOWwUk
— U.S. Senator Al Franken (@SenFranken) January 12, 2017
(Via CNN)