On Saturday, Americans for Prosperity Florida hosted their “Obamacare Exposed” rally in DeLand to spread the organization’s message promoting the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, better known as “Obamacare” to the public.
The program featured Congressman Ron DeSantis and State Representative Fred Costello, each who gave their insights on the fight Republicans have taken on various levels of government to try to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature piece of legislation, or at least try and nullify it’s effects as it’s implemented in Volusia county.
“Over and over again we were told we could keep our plan. They said it would be a boom for the medical profession. There were a lot of promises that were made, but where are we now?” said DeSantis, who described the battle in Washington between House Republicans and the White House over the past few years. He continued explaining the hardship he saw families experiencing dealing with an increase in their premiums and the dangers the legislation could have in recruiting new talent to move into the medical field. “This is going to have a profound impact on healthcare in this country for decades to come.”
State Representative Costello, himself a dentist, explained his experiences in Tallahassee, pushing back against efforts to expand Medicaid to accommodate Obamacare and cover the uninsured, who often turn to emergency rooms for care. In recent years the State Senate, including many Republicans, have been at war with the house over expansion. Costello believed that income restrictions on the measure keeps people home “I will cover a Mommy with babies, or the disabled, but I will not cover, childless, healthy adults. No we’re not going to expand medicaid for that.”
Costello is actually running against DeSantis in the 6th Congressional District, but the race was not mentioned at the event and the two candidates appeared separately on stage. Both lawmakers took Q/A from the audience, all who said they had seen cost increases during the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
The program also featured special guest speakerFrancisco Gonzalezfrom the James Madison Institute and the discussion was moderated by Orlando Political Observer PublisherFrank Torres.
AFP has been one of the most effective organizations at moving and stopping legislation in recent years at the state level, including the opposition of Medicaid expansion and other measures tied to Obamacare.
“We don’t produce widgets at AFP. We produce results.” said AFP Florida Communications DirectorAndres Malave.
Article:http://orlando-politics.com/2016/07/30/afp-florida-hosts-obamacare-exposed-rally-in-deland-with-ron-desantis-and-fred-costello/