From the Democratic Party of Virginia:
ICYMI: Former Governor Terry McAuliffe, U.S. Representative Bobby Scott, Health Care Professional and Veteran with Pre-Existing Condition Slam Trump for Attacks on Health Care Ahead of Newport News Rally
Ahead of President Trump’s rally in Newport News, Virginia Democrats held a virtual press conference with former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, U.S. Representative Bobby Scott (VA-03), a Virginia health care professional, and a Navy veteran with a pre-existing condition to call out Trump for relentlessly trying to tear down the Affordable Care Act and take away health care from 3.5 million Virginians who have pre-existing conditions. The panelists slammed Trump for holding a rally during a pandemic, which Virginia public health officials said was a severe health risk. The group emphasized the importance of voting early for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who have a plan to address the COVID-19 pandemic and build on the progress of the Affordable Care Act by fighting for lower health care and prescription drug prices. A full recording of the conversation can be streamed here.
“[Trump is] callously not even coming to try to get Virginia votes, he’s trying to get North Carolina media. So he’s putting us at risk so he can come down and do a campaign event and he is thwarting all of our regulations here in Virginia…This should surprise no one. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about Virginians. He doesn’t care about Americans…And as it relates to health care, from day one Donald Trump has wanted to get rid of the ACA…and here we are in the middle of a global pandemic where 200,000 Americans have lost their lives and Donald Trump wants to strip their coverage. It is just mind boggling that this man would want to come in here into Virginia after all the pain and suffering that he has caused Virginians…There are millions now with COVID and he wants to take away their coverage for them,” said former Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe.
“For a decade, Republicans have launched endless attacks on the Affordable Care Act, they’ve been relentless in their desire to take away the benefits Virginians and Americans across the country now enjoy…After years of trying to outright repeal the Affordable Care Act the Trump administration is trying to administratively sabotage it…So we’re here to remind everyone that Democrats are here not just to say that we’ll protect those with pre-existing conditions, but that we created the protections and we’re here to fight for them against the Trump administration’s actions to repeal those protections,” said Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03).
“We’ve already seen the outcomes of what happens with these rallies. If the Republican Party needs any indication of how dangerous this is, they can look at Herman Cain. This virus does not care who it attacks. This virus does not have a preference for Democrats versus Republicans, and unfortunately what we see are the consequences that even if you don’t attend that rally, when those persons come back into the community, they can infect all those that are around,’” said Dr. Ebony Hilton from University of Virginia Health.
“I was in a position in 2013 when my COBRA was expiring for my job and I was going to be self-employed, and I started looking around for health care. The Affordable Care Act had not been fully implemented, and the first quotes I got were in excess of $2,500 a month for health care coverage. Fortunately for me, as it became clear that the ACA would be fully implemented, those prices came down and I eventually got affordable health care through a regular medical plan only because the companies were forced to bring their prices down with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act,” said Ralph Volk, a Navy Veteran and Virginia Beach resident with a pre-existing condition.
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