Democrats put pressure on Donovan over Obamacare

January 19, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan voted for a House resolution that paves the way for the repeal of the ACA. Photo courtesy of U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan’s office

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In a last-ditch effort to try to save the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Democrats in Bay Ridge are mounting an initiative designed to put public pressure on Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan, who voted in favor of a House resolution to pave the way for the eventual repeal of the ACA, also known as Obamacare.

Led by their new President Chris McCreight, members of the Bay Ridge Democrats club will be taking part in a “Day of Action” on Jan. 24.

The club members will be at four local R train stations, Bay Ridge Avenue, 77th Street, 86th Street and 95th Street, distributing fliers containing contact information on Donovan’s district offices so that constituents can ask what plan Donovan has to protect the health care of the estimated 24 million Americans and 2.7 million New Yorkers who are currently covered by the ACA.

Donovan (R-C-Bay Ridge-Southwest Brooklyn-Staten Island) recently voted for a budget resolution that clears the way for the House to vote on an Obamacare repeal bill in the near future.

The ACA has got to go, according to Donovan.

“Obamacare has burdened hardworking Americans with soaring premiums and deductibles, canceled policies and limited choices. Today’s resolution is the first step in bringing relief to millions of families impacted by our broken health care system,” Donovan said in a statement.

Donovan also sought to ease fears over the potential loss of health care coverage for Americans.

“I promise to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to deliver a real solution that provides quality and affordable health care. As we move forward, you can rest assured that there will be a stable transition period to ensure continuous access to health coverage while the replacement plan is instituted,” he stated.

In an interview with the Washington Post, President-elect Donald Trump said he was putting the finishing touches on a comprehensive plan to replace Obamacare with a better system.

Trump told the Post his main goal is to provide health care coverage for all Americans and to ensure that deductibles are low.

“We’re going to have insurance for everybody. There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can’t pay for it, you don’t get it. That’s not going to happen with us,” the Post quoted Trump as saying.

In addition, the President-elect told the Post that his health care system will be simpler, “much less expensive and much better.”

Meanwhile, the Donovan-Obamacare fight marks the first major endeavor of McCreight as Bay Ridge Democrats president. He was elected to his new post at the club’s meeting on Jan. 12.

“Bay Ridge is a Democratic neighborhood represented by Republicans. This is not acceptable and will change soon. And because Democrats will soon represent all of Bay Ridge, we need to make sure they share our values and what makes us Democrats. Moreover, we need to continue to make our local Democratic party open to all regardless of age, race, gender, income, zip code, religion or sexual orientation,” McCreight told club members after his election.

The next club meeting will take place on Thursday, Feb. 9 at the Bridgeview Diner at 9011 Third Ave. at 7 p.m.