Midstate activists take health care campaign to senator’s Atlanta office

U.S. Senator David Perdue’s office in Atlanta got a surprise visit on Thursday: a group of women from Bibb and Houston counties who want to talk about their support of the Affordable Care Act.

That’s a policy that Republican members of Congress, Perdue included, are working to repeal. But what the Republican majority in Washington lacks so far is agreement on what to do instead, and which, if any, parts to keep.

“No. 1 we want them to stop calling it Obamacare and start calling it the Affordable Care Act, which is what it is,” said Lynn Snyder, who spearheaded the visit as a member of Georgia Women and Those Who Stand with Us. The group plans to launch a website soon, but for now it’s a private Facebook group that through word-of-mouth has grown into real-life gatherings — and congressional office drop-ins.

“We would like to now have both houses of Congress work on not ‘repeal and replace,’ but ‘repair,’ ” Snyder said. Former President Barack Obama’s signature health care legislation does many things, including provide tax credits, that aim to get more people covered by health insurance.

Snyder said the reason they made the 90-mile trek is to take that message to congressmen who aren’t holding town halls. They’ve already visited Republican U.S. Rep. Austin Scott’s office in Warner Robins.

“There are a lot of really good parts to the act, and there are things that need to be fixed, and that’s what they need to concentrate on,” said Snyder, a retired nurse. She said they do not want anyone to be left without health care.

Perdue and other Republicans, however, argue that the ACA reduces the quality of health care and drives up costs.

The weekday morning group visiting the 32nd floor office in a downtown Atlanta highrise included veterans, retirees and working folks. They wore U.S. flag lapel pins. As they waited for a hastily arranged meeting with a Perdue staff member, they chatted in great detail about policy and the things that they say the ACA helps cure: the number of Georgians who lack health insurance, the poor financial health of rural hospitals and bankruptcies caused by health care bills.

“It’s supposed to be about the people, but with this administration, that is not the case. It’s about an elite group completely disregarding the poeples’ needs and wants,” said Carol Stokes, an attorney with the group.

After about a half-hour meeting with Perdue’s state policy director, Martha Zoller, the midstate group talked about what they’d heard. They came away still looking for more details about Perdue’s thinking on health care — and opposed to some things he’s endorsed, like health savings accounts. But they also agreed that his staff was very nice and took notes.

But as for any town hall meeting, Congress is in session in Washington, D.C., right now, and the next long break for district work is in April.

Last week, at the state Capitol in Atlanta, Perdue said that he engages constituents individually and in small groups. He said he gets a better reaction and better information when he’s talking to people individually.

A Perdue spokeswoman added on Thursday that the senator appreciates feedback from anyone who calls, visits, writes or emails their offices to voice concerns.

Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., scheduled a telephone town hall on Thursday evening at 6 p.m.. Scott has not announced any upcoming town hall. In a written statement, Scott said “my staff and I make a concerted effort to listen to and answer everyone who contacts us, and I strongly believe that listening to what those in the Eighth Congressional District have to say is the most important part of my job.” A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., said that the representative is planning a town hall in the Second Congressional District in April.

This story was originally published March 2, 2017 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Midstate activists take health care campaign to senator’s Atlanta office."