Quiet Week for Representative Lewis

             Ever since the Affordable Care Act was introduced, Representative John Lewis has been an adamant supporter of both the act and President Obama. He supported the act whenever he had the chance to speak, often saying that healthcare is a right and not a privilege. Lewis also was critical of opponents of the act, as he believed they were still fighting a bill that had passed through Congress and was ruled as constitutional by the Supreme Court. However, this past week, Mr. Lewis was very quiet regarding the Affordable Care Act and did not make many statements about it. The Affordable Care Act has received poor reviews over the last week, especially for the inefficiency of its website, as well as the mistaken belief that people could keep their health insurance plans if they liked them. Ever since the response to the Affordable Care Act became worse, Mr. Lewis has refrained from showing full support as he had before. Although he has not been outspoken in his support, Mr. Lewis is still supporting the Affordable Care Act as he voted against the bill sponsored by Fred Upton (R-Mich), which allows individuals to keep their insurance if they want to. This vote dealt a blow to the Democrats, as 38 Democrats in the House of Representatives sided with the Republicans and passed this bill. As a whip of the party, this was also a blow to Mr. Lewis as the members of his party went against what he has supported so adamantly.

            It is important to note that Representative Lewis has shifted his participation in the debate over the last couple of weeks. Up until the Affordable Care Act’s problems became more apparent, Mr. Lewis spoke in adamant support of the act. In most of his speeches he acknowledged the act’s perseverance and even mentioned that the opponents of the act were similar to the opponents of the Voting Rights Act that Lewis fought for in the 1960’s during his involvement with the Civil Rights Movement. It is possible that the negative press that the Affordable Care Act received in the last week is the reason for Lewis’ silence. The Affordable Care Act will negatively affect Lewis’ district, which is mostly comprised of Atlanta, because Grady Memorial Hospital will lose funding because it serves low-income patients. Because of this, Lewis has introduced a bill that would continue to provide funding to hospitals that serve low-income individuals. However, it does not seem like this bill will gain much traction with the other issues and debates that are occurring in Congress. Therefore, Mr. Lewis is possibly staying quiet because he does not wish to be seen as an adamant supporter of legislation that will have a negative effect on those in his district. This is coupled with the fact that the Affordable Care Act received a great deal of criticism this week, which also puts Lewis in a tough position if he were to continue vehemently supporting the act.

Sources:

1. Roll Call: http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/pelosi-dismisses-obamacare-defections-defends-statements/

2. Roll Call: http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/house-passes-uptons-if-you-like-it-fix/

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