COTTON TIME: Senator poses with group that met with him tio plead to preserve benefits of the Affordable Care Act. He listened.

We reported yesterday that some Arkansans who are part of Be the Change Alliance AR were arrests yesterday for protests at U.S. Senate offices in Washington related to preserving the helpful parts of the Affordable Care Act.

Today, Gwendolyn Millen Combs, a founder of the Alliance, reported on Facebook that her group had managed after long efforts to get a meeting with U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, long a foe of the Affordable Care Act and lately silent on where he stands on the proposed Republican replacement, which is still in flux on account of opposition within GOP ranks.

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She commented:

It took a trip to DC to meet with Senator Cotton and his Chief of Staff, but we made it happen! We let them know that we want a bill with bipartisan collaboration and support that insures more people rather than fewer; will lower out-of-pocket costs; will provide the same coverage regardless of age, gender, or pre-existing condition; and will continue Medicaid as an entitlement while preserving Medicaid expansions.

She was asked if Cotton responded “in ways that gave you hope that he at least understood your concerns?”

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Said Combs:

The Senator listened as I shared my story to show him that real lives are affected, that we are advocating for others, and that the need for the items above reach far beyond the very impoverished. He acknowledged that the bill needs work, and we stressed that we want a plan with bipartisan collaboration and support. He seemed to show compassion a bit beyond what he shows publicly but was still very formal. His Chief of Staff started off very defensive but softened a lot by the end of the HOUR that we spent with him.

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