Sen. Bob Casey gets heated in defense of Obamacare

Jan. 07--U.S. Sen. Bob Casey brought the fight to save the Affordable Care Act to Allentown on Friday as Democrats nationally ratcheted up their rhetoric in defense of the health care law.

"Repealing the Affordable Care Act is a bad idea. It's dead wrong," Casey, D-Pa., told a gathering of about two dozen people at Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley in Allentown. "The consequences are unthinkable."

Heads bobbed up and down in agreement. Among those in attendance were direct beneficiaries of the law known as Obamacare, including a man who has recovered from colon cancer and another whose daughter survived cancer.

Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump and GOP leaders of both the Senate and the House, have promised to undo the signature achievement of the Obama administration. Though they've said they'll replace it with something better, they've yet to put forth specifics.

"Where is this great replacement plan?" Casey asked.

He pointed out Republicans have had nearly seven years since the ACA passed in March 2010 to come up with something better -- but have failed to do so.

"That's not a serious commitment to health care," he said.

Trump made repealing the ACA a central plank of his campaign, calling the law "a total disaster." Republicans in Congress have vowed to undo it ever since the tea party rose to prominence during the 2010 midterm election.

To its opponents, Obamacare is the ultimate symbol of government overreach, an ill-fitting bureaucratic response to problems the marketplace is better suited to resolve on its own.

But Casey cited some of the ACA's popular provisions: extending parents' private health insurance to children younger than 26; expanding prescription drug benefits for seniors; and prohibiting insurers from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

The senator, whose usual demeanor is staid, was uncharacteristically emotive, his voice growing louder and more forceful as he promised "to fight like hell against anyone trying to repeal this law" -- a line that drew cheers and applause from his audience.

"Lives are at stake. This is not just some Washington debate," he said. "People are going to live, or they are going to die."

Casey's event was part of a larger push by Democrats. The party lacks the votes to block Republicans, and instead has launched a messaging campaign focused on highlighting ways in which people have benefited from the ACA.

They've described Trump as wanting to "Make America Sick Again," a riff on the president-elect's campaign slogan. Opposition efforts also include a national "day of action" Jan. 15, when rallies across the country are being organized by Democrats to show support for Obamacare.

Republicans took the first steps toward repeal this week, introducing a budget resolution that would prevent Democrats from being able to filibuster the repeal legislation, allowing it to pass with a simple majority of the Senate. It's not yet clear which portions of the health care law would be repealed or when any changes would take affect.

Casey noted roughly 20 million poor and working class people, including nearly 1 million in Pennsylvania, gained insurance under the law, reducing uncompensated care by an estimated $7.5 billion.

"You [Republicans] have to tell the hospitals how you're going to fill this gap," he said.

Also speaking at the event was Brian Kline, 45, of Quakertown. He described how after nine years without insurance he received coverage under the ACA's Medicaid expansion just in time to receive treatment for colon cancer. Kline said he earns $11.66 an hour working at a big-box store. He estimated the accumulated cost of his treatment at "north of $100,000."

"I get emotional talking about this," he said. "What am I going to do without my Medicaid funding?"

After his address, Casey retreated to a conference room to meet other ACA beneficiaries.

Among them was Jim Dunstan of Bethlehem, who told the story of his daughter, now in her 20s, who was afflicted with childhood cancer. The health law allowed her to retain coverage after college graduation through her parents' insurance, and this meant she was able to receive affordable treatment when she was diagnosed with cancer a second time.

Asked if he was discussing the fate of the ACA with fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, who is among the Republicans calling for repeal, Casey replied: "Not lately."

"It's a fundamental disagreement. We're going to be at odds for a long, long time," he said. "There's no common ground here. They want to repeal it. We want to retain it and fix it."

House Republicans have voted more than 60 times to repeal Obamacare, and local Republicans -- including U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th District -- have supported those efforts. Toomey voted for a Senate repeal bill in 2015.

After his re-election in November, Toomey said repealing Obamacare should be done "as quickly as we reasonably can."

"We can't pull the rug out from under people all at once," Toomey said at the time. "We can't leave people stranded in some way, so there has to be a transition. But it needs to be a transition that goes into effect as quickly as it can and leads us to a marketplace for health insurance that's driven by consumers and not bureaucrats."

Making one last dig during his stop in Allentown, Casey said the Republican approach could destabilize the health care sector and drive up the federal deficit. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated this week repeal would cost the government $350 billion over 10 years.

"It's a fiscal disaster in addition to being wrong," Casey said.

skennedy@mcall.com

610-820-6130

Morning Call Washington reporter Laura Olson contributed to this story.

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