A group of around 60 people took part in a pop-up demonstration during the noon hour Monday outside Congressman Mike Bost's office in Carbondale.
They were there to protest Bost's yes vote last week on the American Health Care Act.
Billy Rogers of Du Quoin helped lead the protest. He says he's concerned the AHCA seems to push more of the burden of health care onto individual states, which is not good news for Illinoisans.
"The state is in such a disarray and Congressman Bost knows that. He left our state as a state representative. He knows what state our state is in."
The measure passed last week by the U.S. House now heads to the Senate. Rogers says he hopes senators will do the right thing and not throw out the entire Affordable Care Act.
"I have said all along to Mr. Bost and anyone else that has listened, that we should review the ACA and find out where the problems are and let's work on that. Let's take something that already exists and make it better."
Many of the demonstrators were concerned that coverage for people with pre-existing conditions will be unavailable or priced too high.
They are calling on Bost to hold a town hall meeting in the district. The U.S. House is on recess this week.
Congressman Bost issued the following written statement:
“Obamacare was based on a one-size-fits-all approach that put bureaucrats in Washington in charge of your health care. It led to higher costs, fewer choices, and less access to the care people need. Its flaws are structural and cannot be fixed by tweaking at the margins. Many of the counties in the Illinois 12th Congressional District only have one option through the exchange under Obamacare, and that plan’s premiums have skyrocketed by 70 percent. In some states, insurers are fleeing entirely.
“We have two options at this important juncture. We can stand by and watch Obamacare collapse by allowing health care options to become increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible. Or we can take action to return control of health care from Washington back to the states and restore the free market so Americans can access quality, affordable health care options.
“The American Health Care Act is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction to decrease premiums and expand and enhance health care options so Americans can find a plan that’s right for them. Importantly, the bill provides a stable transition to help ensure low-income Americans have access to quality, affordable options through a new, competitive, state-based private insurance marketplace.”
