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Latest Obamacare repeal bill faces bipartisan criticism in New York

Payne R Horning
/
WRVO News
Opponents of a Senate bill that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act rally outside of a town hall event in Oneida County.

The Senate's latest attempt to replace the Affordable Care Act is getting bipartisan heat from some of New York's representatives. They are worried that the so-called Graham-Cassidy bill could disproportionately hurt the Empire State.

In Oneida County Tuesday, a group gathered outside of Mohawk Valley Rep. Claudia Tenney's (R-New Hartford) town hall, holding up signs that said "HEALTH CARE, NOT TAX CUTS." They oppose the Graham-Cassidy bill that would cap health care funding for states and phase out the money that states like New York got for expanding their Medicaid program.

Mary Clark says it would spell disaster for New York.

"We will lose $19 billion in health care and we will lose coverage for about 1.1 million," Clark said. 

Tenney says she does not like the proposal, even though she remains opposed to Obamacare and voted for a bill earlier this year that would have replaced it.

Tenney said she is meeting soon with New York's eight other Republican representatives to develop a plan of action.

"You know, we are - our job is to protect our residents and protect our state," Tenney said. "We have to be very strong advocates."

In the meantime, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) says a bipartisan group of senators is working on a bill that would stabilize Obamacare rather than repeal it which he says a majority prefer.

"Most central New Yorkers 80 percent of all Americans want to improve the present health care system, not repeal it all," Schumer said. 

Schumer says this latest health care bill has a 50-50 shot of being passed and will come down to a couple of votes. 

Payne Horning is a reporter and producer, primarily focusing on the city of Oswego and Oswego County. He has a passion for covering local politics and how it impacts the lives of everyday citizens. Originally from Iowa, Horning moved to Muncie, Indiana to study journalism, telecommunications and political science at Ball State University. While there, he worked as a reporter and substitute host at Indiana Public Radio. He also covered the 2015 session of the Indiana General Assembly for the statewide Indiana Public Broadcasting network.