Knoxville is one of at least 11 cities across Tennessee where a public protest will be held today against the health care bill meant to replace the Affordable Care Act (commonly called “Obamacare”). The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Republican-drafted American Health Care Act, or “Trumpcare.”
A candlelight vigil will be held by the Tennessee Healthcare Coalition and the local chapter of Indivisible in Krutch Park at 8 p.m., “ecognizing the more than 500,000 Tennesseans who stand to lose their healthcare if the ACA is repealed,” according to the Facebook event.
If the bill passes the House today, it will still face a vote in the U.S. Senate, so local opponents are urging residents to contact their senators to push for a “no” vote.
Similar events are being held in Chattanooga, Kingsport, Memphis, Jackson and other Tennessee cities, many of them organized primarily by local chapters of the Indivisible movement that coalesced around liberal frustration and the women’s marches that took place shortly after Trump was inaugurated. Former Tennessee House rep. Gloria Johnson helped organize tonight’s event.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a non-partisan think tank, the proposed American Health Care Act would increase costs to Tennesseans buying marketplace coverage by an average of $5,709. Older people’s premiums would increase more than twice as much because the bill reduces health care tax credits for older people while allowing insurers to charge seniors a higher rate.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 2.8 million Tennesseans have pre-existing conditions, for which the new bill would allow them to be denied coverage.
S. Heather Duncan has won numerous awards for her feature writing and coverage of the environment, government, education, business and local history during her 15-year reporting career. Originally from Western North Carolina, Heather has worked for Radio Free Europe, the Institute for War and Peace Reporting in London, and several daily newspapers. Heather spent almost a dozen years at The Telegraph in Macon, Ga., where she spent most of her time covering the environment or writing project-investigations that provoked changes such as new laws related to day care and the protection of environmentally-sensitive lands. You can reach Heather at heather@knoxmercury.com
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