House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Republicans are ignoring concerns from their constituents over the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, a day before Democrats plan their own town halls to pressure the GOP.
“I think they have a tin ear to what people are saying to them,” the California Democrat said during a call with reporters Friday. “They are saying we need this coverage, don’t take it away from us, it is exactly what [Republicans] are doing.”
Several Republicans holding town halls have faced crowds with hostile questions over the fate of the Affordable Care Act.
However, some Republican lawmakers have pointed out that the feedback from their constituents at the town halls has been useful.
“I heard a clear message from my constituents at recent town halls: people with pre-existing conditions need the peace of mind of knowing that they can get — and keep — health care,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., who had a crowded town hall.
Bilirakis touted a recently introduced bill by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., aimed at guaranteeing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.
President Trump derided the crowded town halls, saying during a press conference Thursday that they are people who aren’t being represented by Republicans.
Lawmakers are returning to their districts for the week-long President’s Day recess.
Democrats plan to hold more than 80 events Saturday to pressure Republicans to end their efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Republicans are moving closer to finalizing a plan for repealing and replacing the law. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Thursday he expects to have a plan when Congress returns from its recess, while Trump said during his press conference that a plan could come as late as mid-March.
Ryan said the plan is awaiting a score from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which will decide on the potential cost of the bill over the next decade.
Republicans on Thursday sent out a blueprint that filled in some of the blanks for Obamacare repeal, aiming to offer nonrefundable tax credits pegged to age instead of income under the Affordable Care Act.
They haven’t announced how they plan to pay for their plan, but they are exploring the idea of capping the tax exclusion on employer-based plans.
Pelosi said that what Republicans have announced so far is “ill-thought out, a poor substitute and not an improvement.”
