Hassan, Shaheen, crowd gather in Concord in opposition of Obamacare repeal

June 24--CONCORD -- Doctors, nurses, health care providers, recovering addicts and parents of severely disabled and mentally ill children turned out in large numbers Friday to oppose the pending Senate Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, both D-N.H., hosted this unofficial field hearing at the University of New Hampshire School of Law that drew a crowd of several hundred.

The senators attacked what they each called the "Trumpcare" proposal, predicting it would throw millions in the country off of health care and threaten coverage for 120,000 N.H. citizens who get health insurance through the Obamacare exchange or through expansion of Medicaid.

The plan starts to phase out Medicaid expansion in 2020.

"It is as bad as we thought it would be," Shaheen said.

Hassan said cuts to Medicaid in the Senate bill are deeper than in the measure the U.S. House passed last month.

"Trumpcare would truly be devastating for our country," Hassan said.

Deodonne Bhattari of Concord said she's concerned about coverage for her 3-year-old son, Bodhi, who has spinal muscular atrophy. One drug for her son would cost her family up to $400,000 a year without insurance.

"An insurance card is not worth anything if it covers nothing," she declared.

Both senators urged New Hampshire residents to contact friends and family who live in other states represented by Senate Republicans who could be moved to oppose the measure.

klandrigan@unionleader.com

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