Central Illinois Obamacare advocates plan pressure to protect law

Feb. 21--PEORIA -- Advocates for the Affordable Care Act are teaming up to pressure members of Congress and local media

A coalition that includes local chapters of the NAACP, Action for a Better Tomorrow, the Interfaith Alliance of Central Illinois and Central Illinois Friends of Peoria with AIDS announced Monday afternoon their strategies for keeping the ACA, also known as Obamacare, intact as congressional leadership and the president prepare for to "repeal and replace" the landmark health care law.

"It's about partnering, pressuring and putting forth progressive policy," said Katie Jones, a volunteer representing Progressive Peoria.

A handful of advocates held a sidewalk news conference Downtown outside the Peoria Public Library after a meeting with U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, whose office is just across the street inside the federal courthouse. They outlined their plans to bring more organizations, promoting their message through a series of letters to the Journal Star's opinion forum and pressuring members of Congress to work to improve the ACA.

"We said, 'This is not a moment. This is a movement,'" Jones said.

Laura Nightengale is the Journal Star's health and lifestyle reporter. She can be reached at 686-3181 or lnightengale@pjstar.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauranight.

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