Republicans narrowly pushed through their new healthcare bill Thursday, the first step in repealing the Affordable Care Act.
The move, however, has everyone still buzzing online.
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- MORE: Read full text of the bill (PDF)
- See how each Central Florida, Tampa Bay-area representative voted
Whether you are cruising on Twitter or Facebook, the AHCA remains a top trend, with #IAmAPreexistingCondition gaining momentum.
Closer to home, local lawmakers are sounding off and some of them are rather outspoken about what transpired.
Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson tweeted:
This GOP healthcare plan will make it nearly impossible for anyone with a pre-existing condition to get health insurance. I won’t support it
— Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) May 4, 2017
Newly-elected Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy released this statement, saying that TrumpCare “hurts her conscience,” and that’s why she voted against it.
#TrumpCare offends my conscience & hurts my constituents. I voted no. Only thing bipartisan about this bill was the opposition #FL07 #FlaPol pic.twitter.com/lunZKZH8vl
— Rep Stephanie Murphy (@RepStephMurphy) May 4, 2017
Meanwhile, Business Insider listed all of the House Republicans who voted against the healthcare bill. Among them, Republican Rep. Iliana Ros-Lehtinen, from Miami.
On her Facebook, Republican Rep. Iliana Ros-Lehtinen explained why she voted against the bill, including that it lacks protections for the elderly and makes it harder to get insurance coverage.
Meanwhile, in the "yes" column, Republican Rep. Dennis Ross tweeted how elated he was about Thursday’s decision. His Twitter feed is filled with insults he levied against Obamacare.
I am thrilled the House voted to end the nightmare of Obamacare. After 7 long years, we are putting patients first! https://t.co/6CMCS1Giwb
— Dennis Ross (@RepDennisRoss) May 4, 2017
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has stayed silent as of late, sticking on message and focusing on his “Fighting for Florida’s Future Tour."
However, an opinion piece penned one month ago — which landed in USA Today — can lend clues as to where Scott stands.
"Repealing the failure of Obamacare and replacing it with a plan that actually provides affordable and quality health care for families is something that I focused on long before I became governor," he wrote.