Hundreds rally for ACA at Bowie St. Van Hollen urges crowd to protest repeal of Obamacare

Hundreds of people crowded into the ballroom of the Bowie State University student center on Sunday to signal their support for the Affordable Care Act, part of a "national day of action" that brought similar rallies to cities around the country.

More people showed up to the rally than the ballroom at Bowie State could hold. After speaking to the people inside the building, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who organized the event, addressed the large crowd gathered outside from atop the student center steps. Other elected officials did the same.

Organizers estimated 1,500 people attended the rally, including those outside and others who were funneled to an overflow room.

Van Hollen and the other speakers urged the crowd to act together to tell President-elect Donald Trump and Republican members of Congress to not repeal the Affordable Care Act.

"They (have) laid the groundwork, but they've got a long way to go before they can actually get it (the repeal) done," said Van Hollen, a Democrat. "It's our job to stop them from getting it done."

The national day of action, also called "Our First Stand," was organized by Democratic leaders in Congress in late December to protest changes to the Affordable Care Act, including its repeal, ahead of Trump's inauguration.

Trump and Republican members of Congress have pledged to repeal the health care law that came about under President Barack Obama. Last week, the House and Senate both approved a "budget blueprint" that paves the way for quicker repeal of the law, allowing Republicans to end major parts of it without the threat of a filibuster by Democrats in the Senate.

Democrats and some Republicans have cautioned against repealing the law without having another health care plan to replace it with.

At Bowie State on Sunday, people held signs that said "Don't repeal the ACA without a plan" and "Put people before money."

They energetically repeated a refrain of "The ACA, Medicare and Medicaid save lives and create jobs; don't mess with them!"

Speakers like congressmen Steny Hoyer and Anthony Brown drew boisterous applause from the crowd with speeches touting the successes of the Affordable Care Act and pledging a fight to save it.

Near the front of the room and off to one the side of the stage, Ellicott City resident Phyllis Zolotorow held a sign with a pink ribbon that said, "W/O (without) Obamacare, I would now be dead!"

Zolotorow had been without health insurance for eight years while she stayed home to care for her disabled son and then her husband when he became sick, she said.

She became eligible for expanded Medicaid in January 2013.

A year and a half later, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, she said.

The coverage she received under the Affordable Care Act allowed her to get chemotherapy and a double mastectomy.

Other people at the rally held signs similar to Zolotorow's.

Alan Edwards, of Manchester, stood outside with a poster that read, "The ACA saved my wife's life."

Edwards said his wife had just graduated from law school when she was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer.

Their health insurance covered her surgery and treatment, and the Affordable Care Act remains important to them, he said.

"Without the provision of 'no pre-existing conditions' blocking health care in the future, she can continue to be insured and get treatment for the rest of her life, which is what it's going to take," Edwards said.

Credit: By Megan Brockett - [email protected]