Social justice groups rally to support Obamacare

Feb. 15--STOCKTON -- Tai'Rance Kelly asked the more than 40 people gathered around him in downtown Stockton on Tuesday: "What does your heart beat for?"

Everyone has a reason, he said.

For the 32-year-old, it's his children.

And his children are the reason he joined a march and rally organized by Fathers & Families of San Joaquin in support of the Affordable Care Act.

"If I lose my insurance," he said through a megaphone, "my kids lose a father."

Fathers & Families of San Joaquin, along with representatives from Faith in the Valley, the Little Manila Foundation and Our Revolution San Joaquin County, as well as community members of all backgrounds, peacefully marched from Fathers & Families' headquarters on East Market Street to the San Joaquin County Administration Building off of North San Joaquin Street and continued walking through downtown to express their opposition to any move to repeal ACA, better known as Obamacare.

"Trump don't care, Ryan don't care, I want to keep Obamacare," the group chanted, as several people honked in approval and others stared at the crowd.

Advocates encouraged people to contact congressional representatives, attend meetings hosted by elected officials, be a presence at rallies and events, share their stories about ACA and stay informed.

Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs stood toward the back of the crowd and looked on as the group gathered outside the San Joaquin County Administration Building -- chosen as the rally site as a message to county officials -- but he made no speeches and left before the group continued marching downtown.

"With the climate of today's America, we need to come together," said Nikki Chan, health justice organizer for Fathers & Families. "We need to be united."

The rally, which was scheduled for noon to coincide with the lunch-hour rush of downtown, was an opportunity to bring different stakeholders together, Chan said.

Kelly was born intersex, which means his reproductive or sexual anatomy doesn't fit the typical definitions of female or male.

He said his condition is considered pre-existing and he has come to rely on ACA to receive hormone therapy treatment, mental health medication and surgical procedures.

"ACA saved my life," said Kelly, who has nine children but has custody of two of his kids, a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old. "Losing health care is losing my life."

And it's not just personal for Kelly.

It's about fighting for something that will not only save him but a whole community, Kelly said.

Many people and business have a lot to lose if Obamacare is taken away, but they may not realize it yet, he said.

"We don't want to wait until it's too late," he said. "We don't want to wait until you've lost. Or wait until you're in that situation and you're on your deathbed and see what you need."

This issue cannot be kept silent, he said. It needs action now.

Chan, as well as others participating in Tuesday's rally, have held meetings and plan to continue scheduling appointments with the offices of both Reps. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, and Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton, to discuss the issue.

And a big push on Tuesday was to get people to attend a town hall meeting about health care at 6 p.m. today at College Avenue Congregation at 1341 College Ave. in Modesto, a city represented by Denham, who has voted more than 40 times to repeal and replace ACA.

Denham said Friday he would not support any move to repeal Obamacare without a replacement plan in place.

"There's not going to be something that happens with a long stretch of period that leaves people uninsured," he said.

According to the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, MediCal and Covered California have reduced the uninsured rate from 17.2 percent to 7.7 percent in the state. In San Joaquin County, 66,000 residents would lose health coverage if ACA was repealed without a replacement, according to the association.

Kari Khoury with Our Revolution San Joaquin, a movement inspired by Bernie Sanders' campaign, said for people to get their voices heard they need to protest, to show up to protect the ACA. Khouri reiterated the need to keep legislatures accountable.

"Cutting somebody's health care is not just cutting somebody's health," Kelly said. "It's cutting somebody's lifeline. It's stopping somebody's heart from beating."

-- Contact reporter Almendra Carpizo at (209) 546-8264 or acarpizo@recordnet.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlmendraCarpizo.

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