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Without a vote Friday, health care remains divisive topic for Americans

Posted at 11:05 PM, Mar 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-24 23:05:08-04

In the hours Friday after a vote was called off on health care legislation aimed at replacing Obamacare, one thing remained unchanged:

Americans were divided on what it meant, and how they felt about it.

Here are some reactions after House Republicans pulled the bill.

Upset with Republicans

Debby Goodwin, a 63-year-old from Arkansas, said she was ashamed that she voted Republican and was happy the House didn’t vote on a bill Friday.

“Our family is going through a lot of undue stress because of Trump and the Republicans not caring about people in our economic level and they need to start listening to us,” she told CNN.

Goodwin’s son, whose family is not on Obamacare, said he was glad there was no vote.

“It shows that the citizens were heard. The polls and a lot of people in the town halls (indicated) that was one of the main issues,” said Nathan Dodson.

‘Encouraging’ development, health care CEO says

The CEO of a Kentucky-based health care company said it thought Republicans were smart to pull the bill.

“This gives an opportunity for (President) Trump to reach across the aisle,” Mike Caudill of Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation told CNN. “I hope he breaches the divide that exists between the parties.”

Caudill told CNN that while many people might see the Friday’s events as Republican weakness, he views it as an opportunity for President Trump.

“He can revise this with his stamp on it,” he said.

Caudill, whose company employs more than 300 people, said from the standpoint of his company, Friday’s developments were encouraging.

“At least there won’t be immediate adverse effects on the people we serve and are under the ACA (Affordable Care Act) ,” he said.

Nothing for women, LA woman says

Susan Levin, a resident of Los Angeles, told CNN the decision was a victory for women.

“Hooray, it didn’t pass!” she said. “I think that it was very masochistic. They had no provisions for women.”

Levin calls herself a woman of the 1960s and said she lived through some difficult times for women.

“And it didn’t cover maternity, there was so much wrong with it. And if they want to change it they need to take a year and go through it very, very carefully,” she said.

Trump has this figured out, Obamacare critic says

Becky Romero, who works in staffing at a company in California, is hopeful Republicans will keep up the effort to replace Obamacare.

She said the Affordable Care Act negatively affected her business.

“We’ve had to pass that cost to our associates and most of (them) who qualified for that can’t afford it anyway and they’re forced to buy it,” she said.

She thinks Trump anticipated the difficulties the GOP encountered.

“So I’m sure he was prepared,” she told CNN “He’s got another plan.”

Not a fan of Obamacare, but …

“Trump’s plan was horrible,” said Rachel Stack, a 34-year-old bartender in Denver.

For now, Stack is getting health care through work and she said instead of focusing on repealing Obamacare the government should focus on resolving the issues with Russia and Trump.

Stack, a British-American, told CNN as she topped two Bloody Marys with celery: “I am first-generation American and I hate this country.”

But would she move to the UK? “Well, I supported Brexit and it sort of depends what happens there. The whole world really is just terrible,” she said.

Insurance exec: Don’t manipulate Medicaid

Alexandra Eidenberg, the president of an insurance company in Chicago, said she had been “glued to the television” following developments related to this week’s health care vote and is happy the bill did not go through.

“I don’t think the Affordable Care Act is working the way it should and clearly there are a lot of issues with the ACA that are not serving the American people, high rates included,” Eidenberg said. “But the bill put out by Ryan and Trump would have manipulated Medicaid and done things to any community that were going to cause a lot of issues for the states.”

Eidenberg remains optimistic that something positive will come out of today’s failure to enact change to the health care system. “The turmoil in health care is finally creating such an uproar in people that I think we may see something actually get done.”

Obamacare could be better, business owner suggests

Nick Patel, a 65-year-old business owner from Nashville, Tennessee, said he thinks Obamacare needs to be beefed up.

But if a new health care bill is to pass it would need revisions, he said.

“There has to be a lot of changes in the health care bill to go through so everyone can benefit,” he said.

Patel, who works in the hospitality industry, had two suggestions.

“They need to bring down the cost of medicine and insurance,” he said.

They should have voted, California man says

Curtis Chipley wrote on Facebook that a vote would have been telling.

“So after watching 45 (President Trump) ramble on about the vote, and blah blah blah, he says, ‘We were close very close, maybe 10, 15 votes from winning,’ how will the American people EVER know how close the vote would have been,” Chipley wrote.

Pulling the bill showed a lack of transparency, said Chipley, who lists his home as French Gulch, California.

“If you really want to be honest you should have let the vote go on, and deal with the aftermath but of course you didn’t,” he wrote.