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Activists celebrate first anniversary of Obama Health Care
Posted: 03.21.2011 at 4:55 PM
Mark Slavit

Mark Slavit is the Columbia Bureau chief and the Mid-Missouri Traveler.

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COLUMBIA, MO. -- Wednesday is the first anniversary of President Obama’s National Health Care Program.

A group of supporters celebrated on Monday by traveling around the City of Columbia.

Members of the activist group Grass Roots Organizing, or GRO, thanked Senator Claire McCaskill for her support of the President’s Affordable Care Act with singing, balloons and birthday cupcakes.  The group then traveled across town to the office of Ninth District Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer.  Protestors said Luetkemeyer is wrong for opposing the President’s health care plan.

Grass Roots Organizing Spokeswoman Lily Tinker Fortel said, “We had people from all walks of life sharing their stories about how they’ve been impacted and benefited from the affordable care act.  There was a young adult who was able to get back on her parent’s insurance plan.”

Congressman Luetkemeyer doesn’t think it’s a good idea to celebrate something that 71% of Missourians voted against.  Luetkemeyer says the American people are against the President’s health care plan by a ratio of about 2 to 1.

Luetkemeyer and other Republicans in Congress are trying to defund the President’s health care plan.

Luetkemeyer said, “We found another $100-billion the other day stuck in the back of it someplace to try and implement it.  We’re going to try and get that out of there.  It’s just a bad bill.  It’s a bad concept.  We want to try and find a way to help people.  We want to find a way to improve our health care.  This kind of health care, the way they are approaching it, is not the way to go.”

Luetkemeyer said congress can repeal the President’s health care plan if voters elect a new president next year.  Supporters of the President’s plan say we need to keep moving forward on the new law.

GRO’s birthday party was the first of many events taking place around the state, and one of nearly 200 other events taking place across the country this week celebrating the first anniversary of the President’s health care plan.

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