A month after their first attempt failed, Republicans Wednesday boasted to media outlets that they are confident they will soon have the votes needed to finally pass a so-called “repeal and replace” bill, that would bring the Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare, to an end.
Their new bill, called the American Health Care Act, has been hammered out over the last few weeks, and a vote for AHCA in the House of Representatives has been scheduled for Thursday.
As its provisions became known, critics of AHCA noted the bill would once again allow insurance companies to deny coverage based preexisting conditions, remove funding for state exchanges like Covered California and Medi-Cal that were established as part of Obamacare, and bring back lifetime caps on coverage. AHCA has also come under fire because it would exempt members of congress and their staffs from losing the most popular features of Obamacare, and for deep cuts to Medicaid that would, in a cruel twist, cut funding for special education programs.
However, several members of the GOP House delegation remain undecided Wednesday night. Unsurprisingly, supporters of the ACA have been urging voters to contact Congressional Representatives still on the fence, with the hashtag #voteno hovering in the top 3 on Twitter throughout the afternoon and evening.
Among those supporters were several members of the entertainment industry, who flocked to social media to implore fans and followers to fight passage of the AHCA. Many noted the bill’s bleaker provisions, others noted apparent hypocrisy by the party attempting to pass the bill, and still others shone a light on the stories of people who depend on Obamacare.
Read on for a sample of the reaction.
From the people who really know this stuff and make it their business to know. https://t.co/7v8bapO4g6
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) May 3, 2017
https://twitter.com/DebraMessing/status/859989263169064960
DO IT https://t.co/lxd05FqbE5
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) May 3, 2017
Latest flippable House targets to call & urge a no vote on ACA repeal. Call these folks incessantly & respectfully urge them to #voteNO pic.twitter.com/3ZGNlyCu0N
— Kal Penn (@kalpenn) May 4, 2017
https://twitter.com/timothycsimons/status/859930147209662464
Call your reps, tell them no and why, and whether you'll be voting for them if they vote no. https://t.co/tzg9mfLt3K
— river buddy butcher 🤠 (@rivbutcher) May 4, 2017
#VoteNo #TrumpRussia #russiagate https://t.co/BPJJvo6RQe … https://t.co/YLO5GbLf6q
— Nancy Sinatra (@NancySinatra) May 4, 2017
Hey, @SenDonnelly @SenToddYoung & @RepAndreCarson, meet Michael. He has something to tell you. #Trumpcare pic.twitter.com/qEIoZKgwBu
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 3, 2017
None of this should be acceptable. To anyone. https://t.co/R6ScriqAm0
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) May 3, 2017
Hi guys, thank you very much for spreading the word. Every U.S citizen, Left or Right, deserves a descent #healthcare plan. #voteNO https://t.co/J0pmIfxQtc
— Dominic Mitchell (@DomMitchell) May 4, 2017
I'm a Type 1 diabetic, and I hate to sound selfish, but I would super love to not go bankrupt or die. #voteNO
— DaveHolmes.bsky.social (@DaveHolmes) May 4, 2017
Fact: none of them will lose their healthcare #VoteNo #ImpeachTrump #TrumpDontCare https://t.co/QQ52EOu2NQ
— Tara Dublin, Rock Star Author & Kamala Voter 🪷 (@taradublinrocks) May 4, 2017