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Washington representatives on both sides as new Obamacare fight begins

By Essex Porter, KIRO 7 News
By Essex Porter, KIRO 7 News

Representatives from Washington state are on both sides of the issue as the fight to repeal Obamacare gets underway in Washington, D.C.

Republicans met with the Vice President-elect then U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Spokane introduced him.

“I want to thank Vice President-elect Mike Pence for joining us today as we start this unified Republican government,” she said

“The truth is that the commitment that the president-elect made was to repeal and replace Obamacare, and as he said this morning in a tweet it will (be) important that we be careful as we do that,” Pence said.

But as Democrats met with President Obama, Seattle's newly elected Democratic congresswoman, Pramila Jayapal, vowed to protect the 600,000 low-income Washingtonians who have health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act.

“I think we have to call out the Republicans on this idea that you can keep one or two pieces but get rid of other things,” she said

Hospitals and clinics worry about reductions in Medicaid that are in the proposals.

That could make it harder to control communicable diseases like the flu.

“If they have no access to a health provider who can prescribe for them, they can't get good treatment and particularly can't get it in the first couple of days of illness, which is the time frame in which it is most effective,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, of the Seattle-King County Health Department

Democrats accuse Republicans of wanting to "Make America Sick Again."

“If Republicans in Congress rush to dismantle our health care system, people across our country are going to pay more. Premiums will skyrocket,” U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said.

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