Updated: Group Protests at Herrera Beutler Office; Congresswoman Won’t Back Republican Health Care Plan

March 22--Protesters gathered outside Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler's Chehalis office on Tuesday to pressure the 3rd Congressional District representative to hold town hall meetings and to oppose the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Many of the roughly two dozen people who showed up said they were waiting for Herrera Beutler's staff, which has an office at Chehalis City Hall, or to protest outside. Many of them were associated with a group known as the Lewis County Indivisible Activists.

Tamara and Roger Hinck organized the event. Tamara Hinck said they are seeking a physical town hall meeting with Herrera Beutler instead of the phone-in meetings that have been held recently.

"That doesn't do anything for us. It doesn't do anything for our health care. It doesn't do anything for our schools. It doesn't do anything for our veterans. It doesn't do anything for our ecology through the EPA," she said. "We're stuck. There's no way that we can get any kind of answer from her."

Tamara Hinck said Herrera Beutler's staff at the office have refused to answer their questions and instead told them to submit written letters or emails.

The group has been trying to get a meeting with Herrera Beutler for around the past two months.

Larry Kerschner was also protesting with the group. He characterized phone-in town hall meetings as "just another way to hide" from constituents.

"We're out here in the hopes that maybe we can get her attention this way," he said.

Kershner said he also hoped that Herrera Beutler will not vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a version of health care legislation being promoted by President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

In particular, Kerschner was worried about negative effects on veterans.

"She claims to be supportive of veterans but other than a few bills here and there, she doesn't speak out against what Trump is doing to vets," he said.

In a press release from Herrera Beutler on Thursday, she said she remains committed to repealing and replacing Obamacare, but said she would not support the current House of Representatives replacement plan.

"While I appreciate this week's effort by Speaker Ryan and his leadership team to better protect older Americans from healthcare cost increases, the difficulties this bill would create for millions of children were left unaddressed," she said in the release. "... I will not vote to let those kids fall through the cracks."

In particular, she said amendments she had proposed that would have strengthened the Medicaid safety net for children were not considered.

Health care and the repeal of the Affordable Care Act were the main reasons Sarah Spencer showed up to wait for Herrera Beutler's staff at the office during her lunch.

Spencer said she works in the health care industry and has lived in England in the past where her mother was able to obtain medical treatment without large bills that are common in America.

Many other people at city hall on Tuesday were advocating for a single-payer health care system.

"Our current system is broken," she said. "The repeal of Obamacare is a huge step backwards."

Spencer said there is a sizeable portion of residents in Herrera Beutler's district who do not want her to repeal Obamacare.

While she said every healthcare system has its problems, a single-payer system generally has less. In the United Kingdom not having a heavy financial burden after seeing a doctor was a relief, Spencer said.

"We were given health care because we were human beings," she said.

Rob Blubaugh was holding a sign on the corner which was also calling for Herrera Beutler to hold a town hall as well as to vote against repealing the Affordable Healthcare Act.

He also had a message he hoped Herrera Beutler would be able to hear from the group.

"Come to the district and have a town hall, meet us face to face," he said.

Herrera Beutler held a phone-in town hall meeting in February where residents were able to call in with questions and talk to the Congresswoman.

Herrera Beutler's Communications Director Amy Pennington said in an email to The Chronicle at the time that the phone-in town hall meeting reached around 30,000 people in her district.

She also said using a telephone format allowed more people in the large area of Southwest Washington that Herrera Beutler represents to participate than in a traditional town hall meeting.

Pennington said Herrera Beutler has hosted 66 town halls since taking office, including one in late January at the 40 et 8 Chateau in Vancouver.

"(Herrera Beutler) will continue to utilize every means of communication going forward in a way that fosters the most productive dialogue for residents from all viewpoints," Pennington said in an email to The Chronicle at the time.

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