Why These 6 Americans Came to DC to Oppose Obamacare

Keeping promises.

That was the theme of a Tuesday anti-Obamacare rally hosted by Americans for Prosperity on a rooftop near Capitol Hill. The title of the event was “You Promised,” a call for Republicans in Congress to keep their word to repeal the Affordable Care Act fully.

Close to 200 activists traveled to the District of Columbia on buses from Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and elsewhere to rally for Obamacare’s repeal. The AFP-affiliated activists also came to the nation’s capital to visit the offices of their congressmen and demand action against Obamacare.

Here are six Americans who traveled to Washington to protest against the federal health care law.

1. Lorenz Martinez

Lorenz Martinez, 31, is a translator and interpreter in the medical industry. A Virginia resident originally from Paraguay, Martinez traveled to the District to oppose Obamacare because he believes in “economic freedom and limited government.”

“I believe that the government shouldn’t be controlling our health care system. The premiums that have increased in many states [are] really terrible and I would really like something that’s affordable for more people,” Martinez said.

2. John Peterson

John Peterson, a 49-year-old disabled veteran from Virginia, said, “I’m in D.C. for the total repeal of Obamacare.”

“I’m uninsured now, I can’t afford insurance. I’m a veteran and I can’t get an appointment I’ve been waiting two years on because the Obama administration cared nothing about me, since I lived in a rural community,” he added.

When asked what he thought about the Republicans in Congress delaying the Obamacare repeal, Peterson replied, “We elected them to be bold and to come here and do a job, and if they don’t do it they should get used to retirement because they won’t be in politics anymore.”

3. Rochelle Bird

Rochelle Bird, 47, a self-employed financial adviser from Kansas, said she traveled to the District so she could provide a voice for the Americans who are suffering from Obamacare, but do not have a platform.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to speak for the millions of Americans who are in the same plight as I am because of Obamacare,” Bird said.

Bird also said that it’s OK that Obamacare was attempted and failed, but now it’s time to move on.

“Let’s be honest about [Obamacare]: We can do better as a country,” Bird said.

“We’re the United States, we’re entrepreneurial, we make rockets go up into the moon, we can deal with this, but we have to have the courage on Capitol Hill to face it and address it in a meaningful way,” she said.

>>>Read more about Bird: In 3 Years, His Insurance Premiums Double as Options Decline Under Obamacare

4. Julie Boonstra

Michigan native Julie Boonstra, 53, said she came to oppose Obamacare because she lost her insurance in 2014.

“I’m here because Obamacare has not been repealed yet. [Republicans] need to keep their promise, because I need my doctors and me making these decisions, not the government,” Boonstra said.

5. Jessica Hauyaban

Jessica Hauyaban, a 36-year-old small-business owner from Kansas, said she traveled to the District to protest against Obamacare with the hope that she could get affordable health care for her five children.

“Having five children, our family has struggled to find health care coverage. We even have foregone insurance for awhile and then, before Obamacare came in, I found a insurance plan with a low premium and a high deductible. But that policy was canceled last year as it was not compliant with Obamacare,” Hauyaban said.

“I just want to see the broken system repealed and replaced with something that does work for working families like mine,” she added.

6. Tracey Walsh

Tracey Walsh, 52, a mother of five and a real estate agent, is protesting against Obamacare because she believes government involvement in health care is “unconstitutional.”

“The government has no business in health care, it’s unconstitutional, it shouldn’t be involved at any level, whether federal or state,” she said.

“We’re paying higher premiums, we’re getting less service, and we’ve lost access to our normal doctors,” Walsh said.

“If Republicans compromise and don’t repeal Obamacare, they will not be re-elected and they’ll lose the majority that they just won,” she said.