The final straw
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Maybe it was when the U.S. House Representatives voted Thursday to blow up the increasingly popular Affordable Health Act and replace it with a non-vetted, closely-held replacement supported by less than 20 percent of voters (the cheering and beer party at the White House didn’t help, either).
Or maybe it was when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents...
Chesco Congress members split on ACA repeal vote
Updated 5:10 p.m.: Adds comment from Patrick Meehan
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Chester County’s Congressional delegation split Thursday in a closely contested vote to pass the American Health Care Act — the controversial bill that would repeal some sections of the Affordable Care Act, a vote that will likely turn the 2018 Congressional Elections into a referendum on healthcare, much as was...
Chester Co.: Where men are men and the congressmen are nervous
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
That loud sigh of relief you might be hearing is coming from our three local members of Congress — Ryan Costello (R-6), Pat Meehan (R-7) and Lloyd Smucker (R-16) — when it became clearer that the White House wouldn’t force a vote on the revised replacement for the Affordable Care Act this coming week.
While the text of the revised legislation isn’t out, multiple...
Time for Costello to show just a hint of courage
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Sometime later this afternoon, U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello (R-6) will hold a town hall meeting.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that he’s holding it in Historic Courtroom 1, limiting it to 100 people, it was announced Thursday and filled up within minutes — and no one can record the video. Some sort of modern-day Stasi will be at the door, demanding “papers,...
Costello, Meehan dodge bullet on health care bill failure
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
In the end — for at least two of Chester County’s members of Congress — the decision to withdraw the American Health Care Act, the Republican’s much touted replacement for the Affordable Care Act (known more commonly as Obamacare) may have ended up as the best of a lot of bad possible outcomes.
Both Ryan Costello (R-6) and Pat Meehan (R-7) said following the...
Chesco Congress members feeling heat on health care vote
At last count, Meehan, Costello and Smucker appear to be yes votes
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
The fate of a controversial health care reform bill may end up in the hands of local members of the U.S. Congress — as two of them were seen as being on the fence on the bill but now said to be leaning toward “yes” votes — as the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans scramble to...
Letter: Costello must support universal healthcare
To The Editor,
On January 24th 2017, Representative John Conyers of Michigan introduced a bill for health care reform that would automatically cover all Americans with health insurance without cost. H.R. 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act would provide free primary, preventative, and emergency care, as well as prescription drug coverage for all Americans. The measure would be paid...
The AHCA: the perfect bill…to hate
Deeply flawed health-care bill will raise taxes, unemploy local Congress members
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Having read through the new Republican replacement for the Affordable Care Act, the — the American Health Care Act — I’m left with just one thought:
I guess we’re going to find out how Lloyd Smucker, Pat Meehan and Ryan Costello fare in the private sector if this mess somehow passes...
Congress members can’t hide from the voters
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
The phone rang the other night during dinner, it was a phone “town hall” for U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan (R-7) — I happen to live in the 7th — but the timing was lousy and as a practicing journalist, I kind of feel like it is inappropriate as a journalist to participate in such events.
And to be honest — Meehan and his colleagues need to put on their big boy pants...
A brave new world for local Congress members
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
It is a brave (cough-cough) new world for some of our elected officials — specifically the three gentlemen who hold congressional seats in Chester County and find themselves coming home to districts this week they may not recognize.
Yes — we’ll grant everything is new for U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, who is little more than a month in from joining the world’s most...
