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NJ Dems in Congress Rally for ACA

Ang Santos
/
WBGO

Democrats in New Jersey’s congressional delegation staged a rally in Newark against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

The republican majority congress in both houses are already beginning the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, days before the inauguration of Donald Trump.  The president-elect ran on the platform of repealing and replacing Obamacare.  Democrats in Congress find that troubling.

“They don’t have a plan, we know that,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell, a point that was made by each speaker at the rally.

Rep. Pascrell hopes to convince the republicans in NJ’s congressional delegation to voice their support for Obamacare.  If they don’t, he dares them to tell their constituents they’ll no longer have medical coverage.

“Eye ball to eye ball, not in a press release.  That you’re no longer going to be covered, you’re no longer going to have insurance, you’re no longer going to be able to get preventive medicine to help you stop whatever is happening to you,” Pascrell said.

Congressman Frank Pallone says the law shouldn’t be repealed if there’s not a replacement.

“Whether you’re on the left or on the right, we only passed the Affordable Care Act because we saw that more people were not getting insurance, they were getting lousy coverage, they were paying more and more out of pocket, and it was the way that we were able to cover an extra 20 or 30 million people to give them a good guaranteed health plan,” Pallone said.

David Moyer of Westwood New Jersey is one of those people.

“I live with the reality of anxiety and depression.  I can say this without fear because I know I’ll never be denied coverage.  And I can say this without shame because the Affordable Care Act treats mental illness the way it should be treated, like any other illness,” says Moyer.

Senator Bob Menendez says Obamacare isn’t a perfect bill, but repealing it is a big step in the wrong direction.

“I hear those of you who want us to find a way for lower prescription drugs and we will find that way, but we will find nothing if we do not have the Affordable Care Act continuing to be the case for 20 million and nearly two and a half million in New Jersey,” Menendez said.

With a Republican president incoming, and a party majority in both houses, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act may be inevitable.  But like many laws in American politics, the people should expect an ongoing partisan fight.