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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control

McMorris Rodgers says Facebook kudos for Obamacare mostly about parts with bipartisan support

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said she’s reviewed some of the stories shared on her Facebook page praising the Affordable Care Act after the congresswoman asked for stories showing its down side.

The Eastern Washington congresswoman, who has voted dozens of times to repeal all or parts of President Barack Obama’s signature legislation, asked users earlier this month to share their stories of difficulties with the law, paired with a picture of the president holding cupcakes and looking sullen.

“This week marks the 5th anniversary of #Obamacare being signed into law,” the post reads. “Whether it's turned your tax filing into a nightmare, you’re facing skyrocketing premiums, or your employer has reduced your work hours, I want to hear about it.”

Instead, many users shared stories of how they benefitted from the law by receiving previously unavailable coverage or seeing a decline in their monthly premiums.

McMorris Rodgers said Monday that many of the success stories seemed to be centered on reforms that both parties agreed on, rather than her concerns with the health care package.

“The stories are largely around pre-existing conditions and those that are getting health insurance up to age 26,” she said. “That’s broad, bipartisan support for those provisions.”

The congresswoman has voted multiple times to repeal the health care law in its entirety, most recently in February on a resolution offered by Alabama Republican Bradley Byrne that would eliminate all aspects of the law, including the pre-existing condition and age 26 provisions. The resolution has not been put to a vote by the Senate.

The congresswoman pointed to a recent House bill, which passed with a bipartisan vote of 392 to 37, promising future Medicare payments to physicians and extending health insurance for children to the tune of $214 billion as evidence the parties can work together on health care issues.

“It’s the first reforms we’ve had to Medicare in nearly 20 years,” she said. “And it had broad, bipartisan support.”

The Medicare reforms also haven’t been voted on by the Senate, but Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said one will be scheduled after the recess.



Kip Hill
Kip Hill joined The Spokesman-Review in 2013. He currently is a reporter for the City Desk, covering the marijuana industry, local politics and breaking news. He previously hosted the newspaper's podcast.

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