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Protesters Denounce ACA Repeal Effort

Ed Williams
Protesters at Civic Plaza in Albuquerque

A national bus tour protesting Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act is passing through New Mexico. The Save My Care campaign held a rally in Albuquerque Wednesday.

Kathleen Chavez is a small business owner in Albuquerque. She and her son signed up for coverage under the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, and was one of the local speakers at Wednesday’s rally.

"How am I going to send my son to the doctor?" she said. "He sees an occupational therapist, speech therapist, he gets orthodontic work, he has glasses. I don’t know what I would do if the ACA was repealed. I honestly think that we both will lose our health insurance."  

By this summer New Mexico’s Medicaid enrollment is expected to top 900,000. The Trump administration has said it plans to change Medicaid to a block grant system, a move that the New Mexico nurse and hospital worker union says could put health care at risk for people here.

Healthcare advocates at the rally said repealing the ACA would impact the more than 50,000 people in New Mexico who have signed up for individual plans too.

Ed Williams came to KUNM in 2014 by way of Carbondale, Colorado, where he worked as a public radio reporter covering environmental issues. Originally from Austin, Texas, Ed has reported on environmental, social justice, immigration and Native American issues in the U.S. and Latin America for the Austin American-Statesman, Z Magazine, NPR’s Latino USA and others. In his spare time, look for Ed riding his mountain bike in the Sandias or sparring on the jiu-jitsu mat.
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