ACA (Obamacare) Petition Draws No Response from CBUS Congressman

On Thursday, January 26, constituents from Ohio’s 12th congressional district delivered a petition with 1,080 signatures to Congressman Pat Tiberi’s office demanding that he hold a town hall meeting to discuss his efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Constituents provided a deadline of 10am, Monday morning, for a response from Tiberi’s office.

Monday morning, Tiberi’s Deputy Chief of Staff Rob Nichols stated: “We do not have a town hall on the books.” While Nichols suggested that constituents ask to meet with the Congressman individually, he acknowledged that the Congressman’s office could not accommodate 1,000 individual meetings and declined to provide a reason for not scheduling a public forum.  As of today, the petition has 1,293 signatures. For some petition signers, the ACA has been critical.

“As a Type 1 diabetic, I have no other choice for health insurance,” says Mindy Hedges, of Delaware County. “There are more than 700,000 other diabetics living in Ohio and many of us have been turned down by insurance companies because of this pre-existing condition.”

John Russell, who led the petition effort, vows to continue to press Tiberi for a public discussion. “We’re not giving up,” says Russell, the owner of Fall Creek Farm in Galena, Ohio. “For many people in Tiberi’s district, in Ohio, and across the country, having health care through the ACA is vital. Holding a public meeting to listen to constituents is the least a member of Congress can do before making any decisions that could be devastating for so many people.”

Repealing the ACA before a new bill is ready could result in nearly one million Ohioans losing their health coverage, according to an Urban Institute study.

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