Vice president’s visit draws health care protesters

by TONY GUGLIOTTA, NBC 10

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Dozens of protesters gathered in Burnside Park in Providence before taking to the streets to speak out against Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to the National Governors Association summer meeting and the proposed Trumpcare legislation that is currently being discussed in the Senate.

“There are 70,000 Rhode Islanders who gained health insurance coverage through the Medicaid expansion in the Affordable Care Act, and those 70,000 people would lose their coverage if the proposal goes through,” said Linda Katz of the Economic Progress Institute.

Of those thousands, the group says many will include children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

“I feel as though they should think about people first and money second because it’s making big businesses richer and poor people poorer,” said Monica Scott of the Arc of Blackstone Valley.
Protesters said the plan is not well thought out and that the Affordable Care Act does not need to be changed.

“We don’t really know the final details of the proposal because it was all done in secrecy,” explained Andy Acciaioli of Indivisible Rhode Island.

Protecting the people’s freedom to protest was a large contingent of local and state police throughout the capital city, making sure that citizens and dignitaries are safe while also keeping the streets passable for traffic.

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