ITHACA, N.Y. — The Tompkins County Legislator is deciding Tuesday whether to pass a resolution opposing the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The resolution cites Governor Andrew Cuomo’s statement that the healthcare or health insurance of 8,000 Tompkins County residents will be at risk if the ACA is repealed without an alternative system in place.
The resolution is following in the footsteps of City of Ithaca officials, who unanimously passed a similar resolution last week with the intention of sending it to Congressman Tom Reed. Reed has firmly stated that he support the repeal of the ACA, an issue Trump campaigned on before being elected president.
Related: Ithaca opposes repeal of Affordable Care Act
Despite initial promises by the Trump administration to repeal the ACA as soon as possible, Trump said in an interview with Bill O’Reilly Sunday that an alternative health insurance plan might not be available until late-2017 or 2018. But an executive order he signed on Jan. 20 broadly gave federal agencies the authority to begin picking the ACA apart. Special Health and Human Services Committee meeting is happening at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Legislature Chambers, located at 320 N. Tioga St. in Ithaca.
The move has been met with both opposition and praise.
Unlike in Ithaca, the Tompkins County Legislator is comprised of Democrats and several Republicans, some of whom express a desire to see the ACA repealed and replaced with a better program.
The Special Health and Human Services Committee meeting is happening at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Legislature Chambers, located at 320 N. Tioga St. in Ithaca. If the resolution passes out of the committee, it will be voted upon during the Tompkins County Legislator meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m. The ACA vote will happen toward the end of the meeting.
The resolution can be read below:
Tompkins County ACA Repeal Draft by Jolene Almendarez on Scribd
Featured photo courtesy of Flickr
