Protesters Stage 'Die-In' At Sen. Gardner's Office In Health Care Bill Opposition
DENVER (CBS4)- Disability rights activists with the group ADAPT, spent Tuesday gathering both inside and outside of Sen. Cory Gardner's office to show their opposition to the Republican health care bill.
Ed Sandoval committed his afternoon to be there.
"They are lying on the floor, staging a die-in, making a statement that this is what's going to happen to a lot of us if you vote yes, if this passes," Sandoval said.
Despite the threat of arrest, activists remained inside the Republican senator's office, live streaming on Facebook for a several hours on Tuesday.
They're concerned about the Republican health care plan, specifically Medicaid and proposed cuts to federal funding for those programs.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell decided Tuesday to call off a planned vote this week on a proposal to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's health care law.
President Donald Trump says he wants the replacement of the 2009 health insurance law to increase the number of insurance coverage choices and lower premiums.
Jose Torres-Vega worries about the impact cuts will have on his quality of life.
"I think if this bill passes we will lose services, we all will lose the ability to have our wheelchairs repaired, the ability to have our attendees take care of us," he said.
Gardner's office released this statement in respose to those protesting: "We have not asked for anyone to be removed from the office. Senator Gardner wants the constituents that were in his office today to have quality healthcare. He has concerns that our current system is imploding and won't be able to provide quality care if nothing is done to fix it."
Karen Morfitt joined the CBS4 team as a reporter in 2013. She covers a variety of stories in and around the Denver metro area. Connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @karenmorfitt or email her tips.