Eric Galatas, Public News Service
As Congress moves to repeal the Affordable Care Act, proponents of the health care law are taking their case to Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner’s doorstep, literally. A coalition plans to gather outside the Republican senator’s Denver and Greeley offices at noon on Tuesday.
Adela Flores-Brennan with the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative said they will deliver a petition with more than 1,000 signatures from Coloradans urging Gardner “not to gamble with their health care.”
“Our state’s economy and the health and financial security of thousands of working Colorado families is in jeopardy if we repeal the Affordable Care Act without a comprehensive plan in place to provide quality, affordable health care,” Flores-Brennan said.
In a national Republican address, Gardner promised that repealing Obamacare will be a priority, citing rising insurance premiums and canceled plans. But a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll found only one-in-five Americans wants to see the ACA repealed before a replacement plan is put forward.
Flores-Brennan said if Congress makes good on its promise to repeal, nearly 600,000 Coloradans would be among the 20 million Americans at risk of losing their health insurance.
“And that includes people who have gained coverage through Medicaid expansion as well as through reforms in the individual insurance market, and people who are now able to buy coverage or afford coverage because they have access to premium subsidies,” she said.
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