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New coalition will push back on repeal of Obama health law

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Supporters of the 2010 health care law are launching a political coalition to block its repeal, targeting Republican lawmakers whose constituents may now be at risk of losing health insurance. Leslie Dach, a former Wal-Mart lobbyist who served in the Obama administration, will lead the coalition.

WASHINGTON >> Supporters of the 2010 health care law will launch a political coalition Friday to block its repeal. They’re targeting Republican lawmakers whose constituents may now be at risk of losing health insurance.

The initial goal is to stop Congress from repealing the law without simultaneously passing a replacement for some 20 million people covered through subsidized private health insurance and expanded Medicaid.

Called “Protect Our Care,” the group brings together organizations that helped pass the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare.”

On the list are the NAACP, liberal advocacy groups like Families USA and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Service Employees International Union, which represents many health care workers, and the Center for American Progress, a think tank closely aligned with the Obama White House.

Coordinating the group’s activities will be Leslie Dach, a former Wal-Mart lobbyist who served as a top adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell in the Obama administration.

“Repeal and Delay is no better than repeal. American families deserve to know what will happen to them before Congress acts,” the coalition said in a statement.

Republicans, who are considering first voting on repeal and then passing a replacement later, say their goal is a smooth transition to a system that will provide access for all Americans with fewer government requirements. The effective date of the repeal legislation would be delayed by months or years to give lawmakers time to figure out a replacement. But after six years trying to undo President Barack Obama’s signature law, Republicans have not reached consensus on what their replacement would look like.

“It is highly irresponsible to move forward with repeal alone,” said Ron Pollack, head of Families USA, and an organizer of the coalition.

A recent poll found that only about 1 in 4 people want President-elect Donald Trump to entirely repeal the health law. The post-election survey by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation underscored the nation’s deep political divisions over health care. Thirty percent want to expand what the law does, 26 percent want it completely repealed, 19 percent say it should be implemented as is, and 17 percent say it should be scaled back.

The poll found some skepticism about repealing the law first and replacing it later. Forty-two percent of those who want the law repealed said lawmakers should wait until they figure out the details of a replacement plan before doing so.

A study earlier this week estimated up to 30 million people would be at risk of losing coverage, because a repeal-only approach could destabilize the entire health insurance market for people who don’t have job-based coverage, not just those who buy their policies through HealthCare.gov.

Republicans say there’s no turning back for them.

“Obamacare isn’t fixable,” House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady of Texas said in a recent interview. But he added that Republicans want a replacement that provides affordable health care, and will allow an appropriate transition period.

18 responses to “New coalition will push back on repeal of Obama health law”

  1. peanutgallery says:

    A repeal effort run by people who have so much money it doesn’t matter what kind of health care they have. Brilliant!

    • ryan02 says:

      Trump won’t repeal it. And he won’t build a wall and make Mexico pay for it. And he won’t jail Hillary. And he won’t make American great again. He pulled a fast one on all his supporters.

      • deepdiver311 says:

        pe trump does not lie, all that he says will come to pass..the real liah,aka da lyin king, will be saying “aloha” in a few weeks
        and america will be on the way of being great again
        aloha!!

  2. Ronin006 says:

    Democrats think Republicans are stupid and will repeal Obamacare and leave millions of Americans without health coverage. That will not happen. The out-of-control and unaffordable law will be repealed, but people with pre-existing conditions and those receiving government subsidies will continue to receive health coverage and they will be included in a new health care law that truly is affordablefor all Americans.

    • wiliki says:

      Baloney… Republicans I’ve already passed over a hundred bills abolishing Obama Care. Trump has already said that to send up any one of those bills and he’ll sign it.

      • Ronin006 says:

        Bull feces….The Obama Care law will be repealed and replaced with health care that truly is affordable, but as I said, provisions will be made to continue coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and government subsidies until the new health care law is passed in which they will be included. It may surprise you to learn that Republicans are humans and are compassionate and caring people.

  3. Tempmanoa says:

    Republicans will not leave milions without health insurance or health care. There are at least 5 Republican plans for a replacement for Obamacare. The question is what is the right one. Bigger issue is whether Republicans cut out Medicare and replace it with vouchers– this will hurt millions of retirees who have few options without medicare.

  4. noheawilli says:

    It cannot be much of a “think tank” if they support this horrible law. Trash the whole aca and establish free markets standards in the healthcare industry. It works!

  5. Maipono says:

    There are some good points to Obamadon’tcare, unfortunately it is on balance a scam of epic proportions. What President-elect Trump is proposing is to take all the good parts of Obamadon’tcare and form a new plan that protects that, and throw away the broken, scam that these same people who voted for it without reading it passed. They have all been Grubered to the max and want to validate their false sense of what they did was proper, it wasn’t and it won’t save this scam of a law. By the way, these Grubered politicians exempted themselves from Obamadon’tcare from the start, you have to ask yourself, if it was so good, why did they exempt themselves and all their cronies?

    • cojef says:

      A sad commentary by the author of Obama-care to air/admit in public adverse statements about intelligence of the public, plus the POTUS knowingly making false or undeliverable promises. The angst developed since then far overshadow some of the good that resulted by the enactment of the plan. It brought in more under coverage then ever. Health care is fundamentally necessary and essential in an industrialized and modern State.

  6. Tita Girl says:

    New coalition should have been pushing back on high rates and they should have started in 2010.

    • soundofreason says:

      And people haven’t seen nothing yet as the uninformed don’t realize that big increases were pushed off until after the election as not to taint the party of O’bamacare.

  7. Keonigohan says:

    The WORST piece of….legislation…passed by the WORST Dem party & signed by the WORST potus in American history.
    Thank Heavens we have a GOP WH & Congress to right this monstrosity of a LIE!

    To those who support this disastrous ______ bill are just plain ______ !

    January 20, 2017 #MAGA

  8. YOTARE says:

    More Obama loyalist (though that category is disappearing quickly) fear-mongering targeting low-information constituents in a frail attempt to salvage what’s left of Obama’s disintegrating legacy.

    Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!

    Sorry, Barry-bots, but the GOP has long had a repeal plan that includes a replacement model that, while not perfect, will be a drastic improvement over the Obamacare disaster. Funny how it’s always Democrats who slap together some mickey mouse, multi-billion dollar boondoggle–whether it be Obamacare or the rail–and force it upon you by calling you a [insert liberal accusatory obligatory “ist” term here] if you don’t want it, force it through due to sheer numbers (Democrat-controlled Congress, Democrat-controlled Hawaii) and then when it inevitably fails they blame the tiny minority group who opposed it for “getting in the way.”

    And the sad part was, it usually worked.

    That all ended on 11/08/2016.

    HA HA HA HA HA!!!

  9. stanislous says:

    What a stupid wast of time and money… trying to “stop” something that is not even on the table of ideas to reform Obama Care. LOL LOL LOL

  10. willman says:

    This coalition is too late. Time to take their lumps. Unfortunately this so called coalition should have spoken out about the high premiums which will certainly get higher
    if Obama care is not repealed.

  11. latenightroach says:

    “Leslie Dach, a former Wal-Mart lobbyist who served in the Obama administration, will lead the coalition.”

    Another Swamp Creature soon to be eradicated. He’s desperately trying to survive to the very end in the stink water before it’s drained out.

  12. wiliki says:

    Brainless Republicans… they’ve passed over a hundred bills to abolish Obamacare. But now they’re changing their minds

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