John Lewis Shows Strong Support for the Affordable Care Act

            Representative John Lewis has spent this past week defending the Affordable Care Act. Several times, Mr. Lewis has claimed that universal healthcare coverage is a right and not a privilege. Mr. Lewis also demonstrated the resilience of the act while defending it, stating “It was passed by the Congress, signed into law by the president of the United States and upheld by the United States Supreme Court. There have been more than 40 attempts to repeal the act and it did not succeed. By attempting to repeal it, members of this body, members on the other side of the aisle, closed down this government and threatened the economy for the United States, costing us more than $24 billion.” (Daily Caller) The representative was very critical of the Republican Party in many of his statements, and at times compared them to the southern conservatives he battled with during the Civil Rights Movement, “Just reminds me of another period in our history. Not so long ago during the 50s, many Southern senators signed a Southern Manifesto after the Supreme Court decision of 1954. And those senators — along with many Southern governors — subscribed to the doctrine of interposition and notification and some even massive resistance” (Politic 365).

            Representative Lewis’ defense of the Affordable Care Act is interesting because of the impact it will have on a hospital in his district. Usually Grady Memorial Hospital receives federal funding because it treats a large number of low-income patients (Albany Herald). Due to the Affordable Care Act, Grady Memorial Hospital will lose about $45 million in annual federal funding, causing the hospital to cut some of its services. Mr. Lewis is currently supporting a measure to delay the funding cuts. However, instead of promoting the cuts, Mr. Lewis is focusing his attention on defending the Affordable Care Act. This is interesting because it sheds light on the growing impact that political parties have in politics. As a leader in the Democratic Party, Representative Lewis is supporting a Democratic measure that ultimately affects his district negatively at this point in time. Due to the fact that Mr. Lewis has a safe-seat and is unlikely to face a quality opponent, he is able to defend the Affordable Care Act even though it will have negative effects in his district. If Mr. Lewis did not possess a safe seat, it is unlikely that he would support the Act as much as he has.

Sources:

1. Daily Caller; http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/29/rep-john-lewis-compares-opposition-to-obamacare-to-racism/

2. Politic 365; http://politic365.com/2013/11/01/massive-resistance-john-lewis-slaps-obamacare-foes/

3. Albany Herald; http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2013/oct/31/grady-memorial-hospital-takes-hit-from-affordable/