Mast defends health care vote at Gardens gathering

May 10--PALM BEACH GARDENS -- U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, defended his vote for a Republican health care overhaul bill, telling constituents Tuesday he believes the legislation will protect people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Mast spoke to about 80 people -- many of them openly skeptical of or hostile toward his health care vote -- at an event at the PGA National Resort that Mast's office called a "constituent conversation" rather than a town hall meeting. Mast was invited by a group of PGA residents, spokesman Brad Stewart said, and is planning a larger town hall meeting "as soon as possible."

Mast last week was on the prevailing side of a 217-213 House vote for the American Health Care Act, which would dismantle much of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. All 217 votes for the AHCA came from Republicans, with all House Democrats opposed. The Affordable Care Act passed on a similar party-line vote seven years ago when Democrats controlled Congress; it was signed into law by former President Barack Obama.

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"I am 'pre-existing' along with my family," one woman told Mast at Tuesday's meeting. "If they pull the ACA and they pull the pre-existing, what are we going to do?"

Said Mast: "This bill has my support because I absolutely do not believe that it will be pulling coverage from people with pre-existing conditions."

Many in the crowd groaned, but Mast continued, saying "This is the reality. It is in word, written in the law, that you cannot do this. You cannot pull it away from people."

"If they pull my pre-existing, can I come to your office and ask for your help to get insurance?" the woman asked Mast.

"I hope you do so, ma'am," Mast replied.

Mast said Obamacare isn't working because many healthy people aren't signing up for coverage and many insurers are pulling out of areas around the country.

"If there are no insurance providers in the individual market, then there is no condition that is guaranteed to be covered," Mast said.

Some audience members got applause when they called for universal health care coverage.

"Every other developed country in the world gives better health care than we have to everyone and it costs about a third less. So if every other developed country can do it, we should be able to do it," said Benedict McAlevey of Jupiter. He said the bill Mast voted for was really an effort to cut taxes for the rich and added, "You need to fix the problems with Obamacare and not trash the whole system."

Another man in the audience said Obamacare has flaws, but the Republican bill is doomed because it doesn't include a mandate for everyone to buy insurance.

"If you don't have an individual mandate, it's not going to work. The healthy people have to buy health care to pay for sick people," the man said.

"The mandate, I get what you're saying about putting people into the pool," Mast replied. "But it's also not what we're about -- making somebody buy something and saying we're going to tax you if you don't buy it."

Most of the people who voiced an opinion at Tuesday's meeting were opposed to Mast's vote, but attendee Rhonda Giacomelli of Palm Beach Gardens said the gathering didn't provide an accurate picture of Mast's Palm Beach-Treasure Coast District 18, which voted 53.6 percent for the Republican in November.

"They are passionate Democrats and I applaud their enthusiasm," Giacomelli said of Mast's critics, "but they don't represent this district."

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