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‘Die-in’ staged in Virginia Beach in protest of ACA replacement vote

Posted at 7:40 PM, Mar 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-22 22:35:14-04

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A group of protesters laid on the ground for seven minutes in the Virginia Beach Town Center Wednesday night.

The seven minutes represented the seven years the Affordable Care Act has been in place.

Thursday the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a new health care bill supported by President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

For Tracy Hayes of Norfolk, who relies on her wife's health insurance, there will be a lot of questions if the American Health Care Act is approved.

"What are we looking at premium-wise for me to get insurance once she retires? Can she retire? We're not sure she can because we don't know what the health care market's going to look like for us anymore," said Hayes.

Protesters at Town Center said the goal should be to fix the Affordable Care Act, not to replace it.

"If this bill passes 24 million Americans will lose their health insurance. In (Rep.) Scott Taylor's district alone 23,000 people will lose their health insurance," said Ron Roe with progressive political group Indivisible. "Some of them will not be able to get the care they need, some of them will not be able to get emergency care that they need."

The group marched in a circle for around a half hour before lying down on the pavement holding signs.

Many also criticized Republican Congressman Scott Taylor for his support of the bill.

Related:

‘All hands on deck’ for GOP, Trump as health care vote approaches

White House says more changes ‘possible’ to health care bill