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Iowa Woman Confronts Republican Senator Grassley over his Seven Obamacare Repeal Votes: "You're Threatening My Life”

A confrontation between an Iowa woman and Republican senator Chuck Grassley was widely shared this week after she demanded he defend his p...

A confrontation between an Iowa woman and Republican senator Chuck Grassley was widely shared this week after she demanded he defend his past seven votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
At an Independence, Iowa, town hall last week the seven-term Iowa senator was asked what he or congressional Republicans plan to do to "keep millions of Americans" covered by health care. Grassley attempted to offer a response, saying he doesn't think the Trump-supported lawsuit Texas v. Azar currently in the courts will succeed in striking down "Obamacare" in its entirety.
But the town hall soon became heated after the Manchester, Iowa, resident reminded him of his seven votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act and exclaimed, "You're threatening my life." 


The Manchester woman, identified by KGAN-TV as Robin Stone, later said the exchange escalated because she was "offended" by Grassley's dismissive tone about the reality she could die without proper health care. 
"The Affordable Care is the law of the land and it's not going to be repealed by Congress, do you think it's going to be repealed tomorrow?" a disappointed sounding Grassley responded to her town hall questions. "The last time we voted for repeal was when [John] McCain voted the other way, there's no chance of repealing it now." 
"Besides, even if we passed it in the Senate, it wouldn't get through the House of Representatives, so what are you worried about?"
Stone asked the GOP senator to "answer me personally as a person whose life depends on insurance—I would be dead in 60 days or less without the Affordable Care Act." She noted that pre-existing conditions or a shortage of life-guaranteeing medications could send her health in an immediate downward spiral without proper health insurance. 
"There's no question about keeping, uh, pre-existing conditions," Grassley replied, sparking chatter in the room and Stone's insistence "that's only if the Affordable Care Act guarantees that."  
Speaking with Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based KGAN-TV, Stone said she plans on following up with Grassley after the viral video moment, particularly to find out if congressional Republicans have any replacement plan should they ever succeed in repealing the Affordable Care Act. 
"I was very offended, because I thought it was a very simple answer that he completely evaded, and he said at the beginning of that town hall that he would answer every question.," Stone told the local Iowa TV station. "I would love to sit down one-on-one with him. I'm going to write to him and I'm going to ask for that. Why don't we sit down and why don't we discuss this, outside of the public realm?"

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