Disability rights activists sit-in at Cory Gardner's office, 24 hours and counting

Members of the Colorado arm of disability rights group ADAPT are occupying the lobby of Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner’s Denver office to demand the senator vote against the GOP Senate proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Activists began their sit-in on Tuesday morning and remained in the senator’s office overnight. They say that the Republican proposal, known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act, will be devastating to those living with disabilities and their families.

The Congressional Budget Office says that the bill would reduce projected Medicaid spending by a total of $772 billion by 2026, and that the number of people covered by Medicaid in a decade would be 15 million fewer than under Obamacare. The office also predicts that the GOP plan will reduce the number of Americans with health insurance by 22 million by 2026.

The bill has struggled to win Republican support as written. Lawmakers including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky have said they cannot vote for the bill as-is. The Senate announced Tuesday that it will postpone its vote on the bill until after its July 4 recess.

Read more: http://www.coloradoindependent.com/166081/senate-health-care-gardner-disability-rights-activists-sit-in