More than 600 rally in Johnston for Obamacare

Jan. 16--JOHNSTON -- More than 600 Rhode Islanders thronged the Johnston Senior Center Sunday to rally on behalf of Obamacare, which Republicans have begun to dismantle without offering a ready replacement.

The event, led by the state's congressional delegation, was one of many such protests held around the country to defend President Barack Obama's landmark health insurance law, which has expanded coverage to more than 20 million people. Gov. Gina Raimondo, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and state Treasurer Seth Magaziner were among many elected leaders showing their support.

Perhaps the most heartfelt comments came from Gina Rombly, a small business owner who said that her mother, who was diagnosed with stage 3 uterine cancer, would not have received the excellent treatment she did without the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.

"I want to thank President Obama for trying to keep Obamacare," she said. "I wouldn't want to lose a parent over something that could have been treated. I depend on this. My daughter depends on this. And my parents depend on this."

Republicans in both houses of Congress voted last week to draft legislation to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act. President-elect Donald Trump has also vowed to dismantle the law. Critics say the program has been plagued by increases in insurance premiums and deductibles and by some large insurers leaving the system.

Dr. Nitin Damle, president of the American College of Physicians, called health-care coverage "the fundamental right of every American" and "the mark of an advanced society."

Although Obamacare isn't perfect, Damle said, it has lowered the cost of medication for millions of people, insured people with preexisting conditions and lifted the lifetime cap on health-care coverage.

Congressman David N. Cicilline called the Republicans' vote to repeal the law reprehensible and duplicitous.

"They had seven years to come up with an alternative," he said. "This is a big fight. Stay engaged."

Congressional leaders said it's not only the future of Obamacare that's at stake but the fate of Medicare and Medicaid, which provides health care to the poor and elderly.

Jane Hayward, president of the Rhode Island Health Center Association, which represents community health centers, said the law disproportionately affects those who can least afford to buy health care. Obamacare, she said, is working in Rhode Island: visits to community health centers have greatly increased and outcomes are improving because patients are getting care sooner.

Sen. Jack Reed said Obamacare has saved lives in Rhode Island. The percentage of uninsured residents has dropped from 12 percent to 4.5 percent since the law was enacted.

Speaking of the Republican effort to abolish Obamacare without a replacement, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said, "It's like asking someone to jump out of a plane without a parachute."

Whitehouse said the public may hate Obamacare but it "loves all of its pieces" -- extending coverage to young adults, covering preexisting conditions and ensuring that women aren't charged more than men.

Raimondo closed the rally by calling the preservation of Obamacare "a life or death decision." More than 100,000 Rhode Islanders now have coverage than did before the law was passed.

"We are within a whisper of universal coverage," she said. "We have the Holy Grail of health care -- access and affordability."

"Let's let the nation know that the Affordable Care Act is working," she said, "and we're not going backward."

- lborg@providencejournal.com

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