Planned Parenthood, others celebrate failed attempt to repeal Obamacare with rally in Palm Springs

Planned Parenthood was in the mood to celebrate Saturday morning, after the U.S. Senate failed in its latest attempt to repeal portions of the Affordable Care Act – more commonly known as Obamacare – and held a rally at Frances Stevens Park in Palm Springs.

The legislation, defeated early Friday morning with the deciding vote cast by Arizona Sen. John McCain, a Republican recently diagnosed with brain cancer, would have pulled federal funding for Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit organization that provides contraceptives, STD testing and treatment and other health care.

The Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest office in Coachella, which organized Saturday’s Palm Springs event, provides healthcare and programs for more than 35,000 people in Riverside County alone.

“This was to thank our supporters and volunteers for calling their representatives and putting pressure on the Senate to not repeal Obamacare and to not defund Planned Parenthood,” said Veronica Barajas, community engagement specialist with the Coachella office.

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The event included a handful of speakers, including those with pre-existing illnesses who are guaranteed health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

“I am alive today because of the Affordable Care Act,” said Nicholas Snow of Palm Springs.

Snow was diagnosed HIV positive in 2007 while working overseas in Bangkok and did not have medical insurance at the time. With HIV – a pre-existing condition – getting coverage was impossible before the ACA.

With insurance, he now has a primary care physician and coverage that provides for mental health therapy and support groups as well as a chiropractor, pharmaceutical and other needs, he said.

“The bottom line is, I am incredibly healthy and have a significant chance of living many more decades because I can access the needed health care,” Snow said.

HIV positive patients can stop the disease from developing into AIDS if they have the proper medical care and access to necessary drugs, he said.

The local rally was held in coordination with Our Lives on the Line day of action, which had been planned since June as a show of force against ACA repeal efforts. Our Lives on the Line is a coalition of progressive healthcare organizations. Rallies were held nationwide, including in San Diego.

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“Americans across the country rose up in opposition, and never let up,” Darrah DiGiorgio Johnson, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest president and CEO, said in a written statement. “We know this is the beginning, not the end, of fighting for what we believe in – but it’s a big step forward,” she said.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum, stating on Twitter that “If a new Healthcare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!”

“So this is a temporary celebration,” Barajas said. “This is not over yet.”

Congress will likely come back in September either with new legislation or another attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Barajas said.

Planned as a two-hour rally starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, the heat and humidity appeared to work against the Palm Springs group, which brought the event to an end shortly after 11 a.m. with fewer than 50 people turning out.

But the light attendance did not dampen the spirits of organizers.

“We had hoped for more but it turned into more of a celebration rather than a rally,” said Kari Gorecki, a Planned Parenthood volunteer.