Murphy, Democratic Senators Hold Senate Floor To Protest ACA Repeal

Hartford Courant (CT)

Jan. 10--U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., joined his Democratic colleagues in delivering a late-night speech Monday to protest a Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement.

"I still am optimistic ... that in the end my Republican friends aren't so cold hearted, aren't so barbaric as to take away insurance from people like those that we've been talking about here today when there is an alternative, when there is another way, when there is no political imperative to do this kind of damage to people right now," Murphy said in a speech that began after 11:30 p.m.

The fate of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act -- the sweeping health care law commonly known as Obamacare -- is uncertain in the Senate. Republicans need a simple majority and hold 52 seats in the 100-member chamber, but some in the GOP have already expressed concern about moving forward with repeal without a replacement. A vote to repeal the ACA is seen as far more certain in the House.

In his speech, Murphy mentioned three specific Connecticut individuals and described how the Affordable Care Act had helped them get coverage for their medical conditions, and what it would mean if they lost their insurance.

"This tall guy right here is Josh Scussell," Murphy said, standing next to a photograph of Scussell and three others. "He lives in Connecticut. He is from Guilford. And he is standing next to his bone marrow donor and her boyfriend. This is Josh's wife. Josh was diagnosed with stage-4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This is what Josh says. He will tell you the unvarnished truth: 'The Affordable Care Act is entirely responsible for me still being alive.'"

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