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Protesters urge Congresswoman McSally to vote against repealing Affordable Care Act

Posted at 6:24 PM, Jan 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-19 00:29:31-05

More than 20 people gathered outside Congresswoman Martha McSally's office in Tucson, urging her to vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act. Protesters seen, waving American flags and signs -- speaking out against the idea.

President-Elect Donald Trump has explained he plans on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act once he takes office. This decision, upsetting to the protesters.

"They want to repeal it, but don't tell us what they're going to give us instead, so that we could say, 'oh yeah, that's fine,'" protester Bonnie Heidler said. "If there was an alternative that would be good. I agree, there are problems with the Affordable Care Act, but let's fix the problems."

Another protester -- Joe Farrington -- says his brother is one person who could be seriously affected by this decision. His message for the representative? Don't vote for the repeal.

"If they deny people the healthcare, that's just a terrible thing," Farrington said. "And we need to try and convince her that people need this, and that people don't want her to repeal it."

This protest going on while Congresswoman McSally was speaking at a meeting at the Red Cross of Southern Arizona. There, she spoke about many issues -- some concerning local matters, others surrounding around the changing political landscape in Washington D.C.

One issue she spent a large portion of time discussing? The Affordable Care Act. She says there are parts of it that need to be changed in a way that will be more beneficial for everyone. However, that comes with a well-outlined plan.

"We've got to rescue it, and we've got to have a good transition and an off ramp that comes up with solutions that are bringing the costs of health care down while also making it affordable and available," she said. "So again, it's a complicated issue."

When it comes to having "a good transition," McSally projects it taking a few years to work out all of the provisions, and implement them in a way that is beneficial for people.

"The number I'm looking for is about three years. We're going to be in negotiations amongst ourselves over what that number is going to be," McSally said. "But I have been sharing with the Speaker of the House that I think we need several years to be able to put some of the initiatives in place and kind of see how the impact is."

President-Elect Trump takes office on Friday.