Former President Barack Obama called on members of Congress to oppose the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, his signature health care law, in a speech Sunday night at the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in Boston.
Obama's remarks, which he gave upon receiving the 2017 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, are his first since the House voted to repeal and replace Obamacare on Thursday, reports the CNN.
It was a rare post-presidency appeal on a policy matter for Obama, who has steered clear of discussing political issues since leaving office.
Obama called on lawmakers to have the courage to “champion the vulnerable and the sick and the infirm.” He said he hopes they understand that “courage does not always mean doing what is politically expedient, but what they believe deep in their hearts is right.”
The former President also said there was a reason why health care reform had not been accomplished earlier: “It was hard.”
The House narrowly passed the GOP's American Health Care Act on Thursday, sending it to the Senate, where Republicans, who tend to be more moderate than in the House, have expressed concerns about provisions that would freeze the expansion of Medicaid in 2020 and make changes to the mandate on coverage for preexisting conditions; several Republican senators have said they expect to write their own bill over the coming weeks.
Obama alluded to the coming legislative fight when he said of the current crop of lawmakers: “This great debate is not settled, but continues, and it is my fervent hope and hope of millions that regardless of party, such courage is still possible.”
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