Protesters took to East Lake Sammamish Parkway on March 16 and 17 yet again to send 8th Congressional District Rep. Dave Reichert a strong message – do not vote for the American Health Care Act.
Whereas Reichert protesters in the past have come out to advocate a number of different issues, this time the conversation was all about the bill known as Trumpcare.
On March 9, Reichert voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that under the replacement bill, 14 million fewer Americans will have health insurance by 2018 and 24 million by 2026.
“I really want Congressman Reichert to investigate carefully everything he’s supporting before he supports it,” said Jane Isenberg of Issaquah. She said she was especially concerned about potential cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, noting that she has several family members who will likely lose health coverage if Trumpcare goes into effect.
At a Feb. 23 Facebook Live interview filmed at the KCTS studios in Seattle, Reichert stated that “no one is going to lose coverage” in the replacement for Obamacare.
Tom Harly, a retired doctor who now lives in Leavenworth, said that constituents “can hope” that Reichert will vote against Trumpcare.
“He has a tight rope to walk,” said Harly, who also brought his lab coat to the rally. “He needs to hear that a lot of people will hold his feet to the fire.”
Bob Melton was not as optimistic.
“My response is that he’s voting straight Republican lines, no matter what it does to his constituents. He doesn’t care about us,” said Melton, who has lived in Sammamish for 26 years. “This applies to a lot of Republicans, too — if they’re poor, they will be out in the cold.”
“He does not provide justification for why he says what he says,” added Melton’s spouse, Evelyn.
The Meltons volunteer at the Saint James Cathedral Kitchen in Seattle, where they said that they regularly see long lines of people in need of a free meal. They emphasized that many of the people are not homeless, but are simly the working poor struggling to pay rent and have enough left over for food.
If 24 million people lose insurance, Melton said, “There are gonna be more sick and a lot more homeless. It’s a very serious matter.”
Jeremy King and Erin Gilmer, who both study nursing at Seattle University and work at Swedish Medical Center Issaquah, wore their lab coats to the protest to demonstrate their allegiance with their patients. King and Gilmer said they have treated countless patients who would not have health care were it not for the Affordable Care Act.
“The American Health Care Act will cut off health care for millions of people, including children,” Gilmer said. “As health care practicioners, we want to let Reichert know we don’t support that.”
King noted that 20 percent of Washington residents — and two in five children — rely on Medicaid for health insurance.
“To cut Medicaid … when a huge chunk of those people are children who don’t have a say in the matter … It’s deplorable,” Gilmer stated.
King and Gilmer said that although they do not live in the 8th District, they feel it is their duty to stand up for the rights of the patients they serve in the 8th District.
“As a registered nurse and as an advance practice nursing student I am compelled by my profession’s formally adopted ethics and my personally held ethics and morals to advocate for those I serve,” King stated in a follow-up email. “I serve patients in Congressman Reichert’s district and since he has stated that he will do them harm by voting to take away their health care, it is left to me and my fellow health care professionals and our allies to try to convince him to do the right thing.”
“People are not OK with this repeal of Obamacare,” said Marta Macenka, who has lived in Issaquah for 20 years. “The rich are going to get the tax credits. What representative would vote for that?”
The sentiments of the rain-soaked but resilient protesters were perhaps best summed up by Pamela Rains, a 15-year resident of Issaquah.
“As a senior, this isn’t the country I know anymore,” Rains said. “And I will do what I can to make my voice heard.”
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