Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) hosted a public town hall meeting Saturday morning to discuss the state of health care after the GOP’s decision to withdraw the American Health Care Act on Friday.
Attendees heard from Gloria, Congresswoman Susan Davis, Senator Ed Hernandez and Senator Toni Atkins on campus at the University of California San Diego about the future of the Affordable Health Care Act and how future changes may impact citizens.
"I think from California’s perspective, we have so much to lose if the affordable care act is repealed that we can’t get complacent," Assemblyman Gloria said. "What we’ve seen since the election is an outpouring of civic-minded people taking to the streets, occupying airports, doing the things that keep elected officials like myself on notice, and it's working."
President Trump has made it clear that he still plans to repeal Obamacare at some point, and local democratic lawmakers want to inform the community about future efforts from the GOP.
"Without the Affordable Care Act, I probably would have been here and there and may not even have health care," cancer patient Haviland Franck said. "We were all kind of holding out breath. I think we're all still holding our breath until we really get a straight answer on what can be done to keep the affordable care act where it is now, because its’a wonderful thing."
Franck said she's been battling cancer for ten years and, in the proccess, has has heart surgery and has done chemotherapy.
"It affected our lives in so many ways," Franck said. "So many people were covered. It was a massive movement for our nation, and to repeal it would be a huge step backwards."
Local
Two weeks ago, U.S. Rep. Darell Issa and Duncan Hunter held separate town halls of their own in Oceanside and Ramona, respectively. Demonstrators gathered outside of both Issa and Hunter’s offices in the weeks leading up to their town halls.
After the GOP announced it would withdraw its health care bill on Friday, Issa issued this statement:
"We will go back to the drawing board and get this right for each and every American concerned with high costs in their health care and ever-dwindling choices and access to care," Issa said.
Saturday’s town hall is taking place in the West Ballroom of UCSD’s Price Center.