SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) — UC San Diego students and local veterans are standing up against the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle Obamacare.
On Thursday, students and at least one post-9/11 veteran joined forces to rally against both the Trump administration and Congressman Darrell Issa for supporting the repeal of Obamacare.
"As a veteran, I'm not surprised Issa was the deciding yes vote on the American Healthcare Act," Eric Dean said at the rally.
The demonstration was held just hours after President Trump signed an executive order to scale back portions of the Affordable Care Act, which he says will create competition and lower costs by allowing coverage to be sold across statelines.
Yusef Robb with the So Cal Healthcare Coalition says it won't work.
"Trump says a lot of things," said Robb. "What independent experts know is this will increase premiums for millions of Americans and it will target those with pre-existing conditions."
Robb - and others who helped organize the rally - say aside from increased costs, they fear students won't be able to stay on their parents' insurance and veterans won't get the full coverage they deserve.
Locally, they claim 85,000 of Congressman Issa's constituents will be impacted.
"Darrell Issa needs to quit siding with Washington and the Trump administration, and side with his own constituents," said Robb.
In response, Congressman Issa provided a statement, which read in part:
We cannot forget the harm Obamacare is doing to many Americans and small businesses today through increased costs of care and reduced access to the doctors Americans know and like. We must make efforts to expand choice.
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