Berrien Democratic Party Chair Slams Upton Over Healthcare Vote

medical54-8
medical54-8

Berrien County Democrats are not pleased with Congressman Fred Upton this week. That’s after Upton announced he would oppose the GOP healthcare bill Tuesday, only to reverse course Wednesday after adding a new amendment to it. Berrien County Democratic Party Chair Dr. Eric Lester tells WSJM News he’s “disgusted.”

“It’s deeply damaging to a lot of people,” Lester said. “This flip flop that he did where one day he says he’s against the bill and gets credit in the New York Times and other places, a lot of us thought, ‘Well, maybe he is listening.’ Then, the next day for an $8 billion fig leaf, which is really a trivial amount of money given the realities of healthcare nationally, he flipped and voted for this atrocious bill.”

Upton initially opposed the GOP replacement for the Affordable Care Act because it allows for those with preexisting conditions to be penalized. He later announced his support after proposing an amendment to provide assistance to those patients. However, Lester says the $8 billion over 5 years won’t be nearly enough. He expects Democrats to keep the pressure up on Upton moving forward.