CINCINNATI -- About 200 rallied downtown Sunday, just two days after The House of Representatives began the process of dismantling the Affordable Care Act.
The rally, which took place at Piatt Park, aimed to address the issue of cutting Obamacare without a replacement, a move that could leave millions uninsured, organizers said. Some also stressed the importance of preventing funding cuts to programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
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Sunday’s rally was one of many that took place across the country. ABC News reported Senator Bernie Sanders made an appearance at a rally in Michigan, and Senator Elizabeth Warren spearheaded another in Boston. Sanders’ website listed 41 rallies that occurred nationwide on Sunday.
But some believe there are better alternatives to the Affordable Care Act.
Hamilton County GOP Chairman Alex Triantifilou said he hears a lot of complaints about the premiums associated with the Affordable Care Act, especially from those who own small businesses.
“There just has to be a better way, and I suspect there will be a more market driven solution,” Triantifilou said. “I'm also behind the belief that there should be a replacement in place before there is a full repeal, and I think most common sense Republicans believe that."
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About 200 people gathered at Piatt Park Sunday to rally against repealing the Affordable Care Act without a replacement plan. Photo by Lot Tan, WCPO.
David Lynch, one of the rally organizers, said he would welcome a plan that is better than Obamacare.
"If they can come up with a plan that's better that's great,” Lynch said. “That puts the burden on them to create something that's better than the Affordable Care Act has been. It hasn't been perfect, but it's made some significant changes in the lives of so many people."
One of those people is Anne Schuster.
"I'm a single mom, and I have my own company,” Schuster said. “I wasn't able to afford the insurance that wasn't through the [ACA], and so [now] my premiums are lower, I'm getting my preventative care. I'm getting my check ups."
Though the Republican-led Congress is working to roll back the Affordable Care Act, no one knows how or when it will be replaced, and local democrats said they plan to have more rallies in the coming weeks.
