March 08, 2017

Rep. Derek Kilmer on health care, travel ban

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer said he came away from a round-table meeting at a community health clinic in Tacoma with a clear understanding of the Affordable Care Act: It affects real people.

In an interview Wednesday, Kilmer recalled a woman who said an expansion of Medicaid saved her life and another woman whose adult daughter has bi-polar disorder. She was able to remain under her parents' insurance because of a provision in the Affordable Care Act, Kilmer, a 6th District Democrat, said.

He worries that a Republican proposal to replace the act will cover fewer people at a higher cost.

Kilmer also questioned the revised travel ban that the Trump Administration introduced this week.

"It's important to keep the American people safe. This doesn't do that," he said.

He said there was already extensive vetting of refugees. Kilmer also noted that the Islamic State is using the travel ban as a recruiting tool.


Source: KOMO NEWS