It’s back to Washington for Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas.
The Fourth of July break is over, and lawmakers will continue working on a new health care plan back in D.C.
Yoder is getting a sendoff from some Kansans who don't want to lose their coverage.
The group gathers in front of Yoder’s office on the first Tuesday of every month to meet with Yoder. They said they’re looking for a Medicare expansion or Medicare for all.
They said Yoder went against that when he and other House Republicans voted for the American Health Care Act of 2017, or AHCA. That's the new health care plan that will gut the nation’s current health care law. Some are concerned it’s a plan that will only benefit the rich.
Yoder or someone from his staff meets with this group about once a month and they said in a statement that Yoder prides himself on accessibility. Some people in the group said they didn't think Yoder was accessible.
Yoder had a recent phone town hall meeting on health care with nearly 6,000 people.
"I think the congressman needs to understand that the limited people he meets with are hand selected and aren't representative of the people in his district… I'm a Republican, and I don't like what's going on," Cheryl Schoenberg, a concerned resident, said.
According to Reuters, the AHCA would phase out the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid health insurance, sharply cut federal Medicaid spending beginning in 2025, repeal most of the ACA's taxes, end a penalty on Americans who do not obtain insurance and overhaul the ACA's subsidies to help people buy insurance with tax credits.
Yoder's office said in a statement "If you are a senior who needs help with Medicare, veterans who needs help with the VA, or anyone living in the Third District who needs help with a federal agency visit Congressman Yoder’s office in downtown Overland Park or call 913-621-0832.”
