Republican congressman sneaks away from constituents demanding health care answers

[deminks]

https://thinkprogress.org/republican-congressman-sneaks-away-from-constituents-demanding-health-care-answers-e55e0593244e#.5idnfeph9

Congressman Mike Coffman (R-CO) tweeted Friday that he was excited to return home to Colorado this weekend, but things didn’t go very well when he got there.

On Saturday, his open meeting to chat with constituents at the Aurora Central Library was overwhelmed by voters particularly concerned about the fate of their health care if the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare) is repealed — a plan Coffman supports — without a replacement put in place. Rather than meet with most of them or even address them, he left the event via a back door and escaped in a waiting vehicle.

Among those who never got the chance to speak with Coffman was Berthie Ruoff. She told 9news, “I am potentially going to lose my health insurance. I’ve had a preexisting condition. I’ve had breast cancer. What’s going to happen to me? My spouse who had health insurance passed away. What do I do? You know, what am I supposed to do?” One of the hallmarks of the ACA was its provision that insurance carriers could no longer deny coverage to applicants because of pre-existing conditions like asthma, diabetes, and cancer — as many did prior to the law’s passage.

It’s not clear that Coffman would have had a satisfying answer for her. This week, he co-authored an op-ed in The Denver Post with his fellow Republican congressmen from Colorado defending their support for repealing the ACA. Addressing the argument that people could lose their coverage and not find new plans because of pre-existing conditions, the lawmakers promised a Republican plan that “envisions” expanding protections that existed before the ACA, such as privacy protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). But such protections only help those who change but maintain insurance coverage, not those who lose it and have to start a new plan, meaning they would do nothing to help Ruoff or others like her if their coverage should end because of the law’s repeal.

(end snip)

Coward!!!

[kimbutgar]

1. Next time they should have surrounded his car.

Don't give them the opportunity to escape. Surround their cars and scare them. We really need need to step up citizen activism and deluge them with our non threatening physical presence.

[Esse Quam Videri]

3. The police cordoned off an area around his

Car with Crime Scene tape so he could escape. Despicable

[kimbutgar]

5. Block the car from leaving would have been effective.

A human barrier wall to prevent the car from leaving in either direction. A standoff situation until he answered his constituents questions.

[MountainFool]

9. crime scene ...

Well, with the number of people that will die if ACA is repealed, it is prescient to treat the actions of these "representatives" as crimes.

[maxrandb]

13. And please record these confrontations on your phones and post them

The more confrontational and angry the better. Chase them. Scream over everyone else in the room.

Remember how that worked for the T-baggers?.

Bring a firearm with you too, as long as it's legal.

The media eats that shit up.

Time to fight fire with tomahawk missiles

[dalton99a]

2. The congressman has got his taxpayer-funded insurance. He doesn't care.

[narnian60]

11. +1

[edhopper]

4. Then why

do they continue to vote for these people?

[dalton99a]

6. Same old crap: God, Gays and Guns - And the Kenyan Black Guy.

[ananda]

7. And a quisling to boot!

A pusillanimous weakling collaborating
with an enemy force occupying our country,
namely the Trumputin party.

[edhopper]

8. Trumputin

that is great, I am going to start using that.

[KamaAina]

10. Sadly, he will doubtless keep getting re-elected over and over.

[DRoseDARs]

12. They misspelled "slithered" nt

[progree]

14. pre-existing condition people don't have to worry thanks to HIPAA? LOL LOL . JFC

Addressing the argument that people could lose their coverage and not find new plans because of pre-existing conditions, the lawmakers promised a Republican plan that “envisions” expanding protections that existed before the ACA, such as privacy protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

In other words, one has to lie to the insurance company and tell it that you have no pre-existing conditions, and hope like hell they won't find out because of, (LOL) HIPAA? Yeah right

And when they do find out -- like after years of paying premiums you have a very serious illness like cancer or serious accident that costs into the multiple six figures -- they go investigate you and find out, and terminate your coverage because you were "dishonest" on your original application for insurance.

E.g. Google "blue cross rescission"

or whatever insurance company you choose to see the pre-ACA horror stories. Like not telling them of some yeast infection you had as a child. And suddenly find yourself amongst the "don't get sick, and if you do, die quickly" multitude.