Obamacare: What Monrovia's Congress Members Have Said About It

In light of the national discussion about the rollout of Obamacare (aka the Affordable Care Act), I thought I'd go back and see what our two members of Congress have had to say about it over the past few years by reviewing their press releases.

Neither Congress member representing Monrovia has issued a press release about Obamacare since the roll-out, and, interestingly, I cannot find any press releases on the topic at all from Grace Napolitano (D) - who represents most of Monrovia, south of Hillcrest/Grand/E. Greystone. In terms of press releases, at least, she seems to have been silent on the matter.

On the other hand, Judy Chu (D) - who represents the top slice of Monrovia - north of Hillcrest/Grand/E. Greystone - has had a lot to say.

On the critical side, she said she would have preferred Obamacare have "a stronger government plan with the power to better negotiate rates and help keep overall premiums down" and "I am also disappointed that under H.R. 3962, legal immigrants will still have to wait five years before being able to access Medicaid or Medicare benefits." http://goo.gl/f1B7RW

But Chu was mostly enthusiastic about Obamacare. Following the House passage of the bill she predicted: "I am confident that when the president signs this bill into law, and its effects begin to immediately be felt across the nation, even those who have vehemently opposed this bill will realize what hundreds of my constituents who have spoken out at town halls in my district already know: that this bill is a win-win for our seniors, for our families, for our doctors and for America.

"With today's House vote, we are just a few steps away from changing our health care system for the better and ensuring that America treats its people with the respect, dignity and compassion they deserve." http://goo.gl/GPw5z8

And, in another press release, she predicted that Obamacare "will provide coverage to 32 million more Americans, prevent insurance companies from discriminating against or dropping coverage for patients with catastrophic illness or preexisting conditions, and reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over the next 10 years and $1.2 trillion the following 10 years." http://goo.gl/1lFcDe

- Brad Haugaard