Obamacare "horror" stories only, please?
Oh, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. In the words of Kenny Rogers, "you've got to know when to hold 'em....and know when to fold 'em." After yesterday's story on the
surprising response she got from constituents when she asked for "Obamacare" nightmares, she doubled-down with a press conference and mentioned several so-called Obamacare horror stories, presumably heartfelt stories that had been sent to her. See the short statement here:
But, there are a few problems with these accounts. For one thing, there are only five. Five whole stories of the Affordable Care Act being a nightmare, compared to the
thousands of positive comments on her Facebook page. Secondly, all five stories (including the ones below) were lifted directly from
the House Republican leadership website, which was posted days before her press conference:
“I am a 62 year old widow and only make $8.79 an hour. I have lost my insurance coverage and cannot afford to pay for this.“
— Sandra P. from Augusta, GA
As Daily Kos user
jfromga points out, Obamacare hasn't failed "Sandra P."—her Republican governor and legislature have failed her by refusing to expand Medicaid.
Head below the fold for more stories.
How about "Robert S." from North Carolina?
“I received a letter last week telling me that my Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) insurance will be canceled. – Robert S. from Durham, NC”
Sorry, Robert S., but your plan was bunk to begin with. As Rachel Maddow and others have noted, these were
junk plans that the ACA shut down because they were bad for consumers.
So, not only has Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers completely and totally disregarded the comments of her own constituents, she has the gall to hold a press conference touting misleading or outright false stories as the basis for wanting to repeal the Affordable Care Act and take away affordable insurance for millions nationwide.
As her own local paper notes this morning, her constituents are taking note:
Yet, the congresswoman represents a district with higher-than-national average unemployment, a greater percentage of people receiving food stamps and income levels lower than the national average.
She votes and argues the party line, however, and has what pundits describe as a “safe” seat. She is considered a comer in Congress.
On Thursday, however, there was a rare show of defiance from those Eastern Washington constituents.
Take note, Washingtonians. The good congresswoman is definitely not working in your interest. Maybe her seat shouldn't be so "safe" after all.
Special thanks to Daily Kos user AnnieJo for pointing me to the GOP.gov page and for her follow-up diary.
