About 50 constituents of Rep. Jason Lewis held a candlelight vigil to draw attention to the fact that in their view, he has been “missing” from the district for the length of his term. Local groups have tried unsuccessfully to persuade Lewis to attend one of many town halls they have held so far this year.
Many of the attendees spoke on various issues, but the one that seemed to have the most reaction in the crowd was Lewis’ vote and other support for the American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) — a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act that was signed into law by President Obama in his first term in office.
Several spoke of their own pre-existing conditions or those of loved ones, stating that they are anxious about being priced out of health insurance by the new bill, which no longer protect pre-existing conditions (or at least, not nearly as much as current law) and the elimination of need-based subsidies in favor of age-based subsidies.
