Hundreds of people rallied outside the Connecticut State Capitol on Sunday as part of protests organized by Democrats across the country to highlight opposition to the Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Several members of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation spoke at the Hartford rally, including the dean of the delegation, U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro. She told the protesters that many Americans would be affected if Obama’s signature healthcare law is replaced with tax credits as some Republicans are proposing.
“Working people, middle class families, they are going to lose their health care while wealthy families get a windfall this is not right.”
DeLauro commended the protesters for coming to the rally. She said action by voters is what members of Congress listen to.
“We work in an institution that while we are supportive in saving the Affordable Care Act, it responds to external pressure. You are the external pressure. Let’s turn this around.”
On Long Island, hundreds also rallied to save the Affordable Care Act and other federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Ron Motta’s son Robbie was born with a congenital heart defect. Motta says his son had open heart surgery right after he was born, and he’s had several other big procedures done throughout his 11-year life.
The repeal of the ACA has Motta feeling stressed, and it’s been difficult for him to answer questions from his son.
“He knows about his condition. He knows he will always need medical care. And he knows what is going on in Washington and quite frankly, it scares him. Can you imagine having to answer questions from an 11-year-old boy such as: ‘Dad, will I be able to get health insurance when I grow up? Dad, will I be able to pay for it? What if I need an operation?’ These are not the things children should be thinking about, let alone asking.”
Motta spoke alongside his son. He said he hopes that no matter what Republicans decide to do about the ACA, they save the law that does not allow insurance companies to discriminate based on pre-existing conditions.
He said for millions of people like his son Robbie, preserving the ACA feels like a matter of life and death.
Long Island’s new congressman, Democrat Tom Suozzi, wants residents to echo their concerns on Facebook and Twitter to outweigh President-elect Donald Trump’s clout on social media.
“His one voice is very powerful, and a lot of people follow it and pay attention to it. We need to all use all of our voices and take our individual weaknesses and make it a collective strength, to talk about the real life stories of people whose lives will be lost – literally, I am not exaggerating. People’s lives will be lost if they lose their healthcare.”
Suozzi says there are problems with the ACA. But it’s Congress’ job to fix them, not destroy millions of people’s lives.
The largest group of demonstrators on Long Island was against the plan to defund Planned Parenthood.
Joanne Smith of Planned Parenthood in Nassau County says defunding Planned Parenthood will leave women and men without prevention services like “testing and treatments for STIs, birth control, lifesaving cancer screenings, prenatal care for women.”
Congresswoman Kathleen Rice says Republicans in Congress have wanted to defund Planned Parenthood for years.
“We cannot go back, and that is what today is all about.”
Smith says there are about 14,000 residents in Rice’s district who rely on Planned Parenthood services.
Congressional Republicans passed votes last week to begin the first steps toward repealing the ACA.
