Obamacare Repeal: How Long Island Representatives Voted

The House of Representatives, by the slimmest of margins, passed a health care bill Thursday that would repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act.

The final tally was 217-213 with no Democratic votes. New York representatives voted 20-7 against, including two Republicans who voted “no” on the American Health Care Act. Overall, 20 Republicans voted against the bill.

Representatives of Long Island communities voted 2-3. All the Republicans voted "yes" while the Democrats voted "no."

• More: American Health Care Act Passes House, Now Heads To Senate

Long Island consists of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th congressional districts. The 3rd Congressional District includes some communities in Queens while the 5th District also includes a few Nassau County communities.

Here’s how Long Island representatives voted:

• 1st District: Lee Zeldin, R— yes
• 2nd District: Peter King, R— yes
• 3rd District: Thomas Suozzi, D— no
• 4th District: Kathleen Rice, D— no
• 5th District: Gregory Meeks, D— no

"Yes" Voters

Rep. King said he voted yes because the legislation is an improvement over Obamacare.

“There were serious deficiencies in Obamacare which had to be corrected,” King said in a statement on Facebook. “In many cases premiums had more than doubled and in the last year alone increased by more than 25 percent.”

King also said this legislation will not cause anyone in New York with a preexisting condition to lose coverage. “Healthcare is critical to all Americans and to the future of our country,” he said. “It has and will require continued corrections and adjustments. Today's legislation is a step in that direction.”

Rep. Zeldin also agreed that the current health care system is flawed.

"The American Health Care Act provides relief from billions of dollars of crushing taxes and mandates enacted under the [Affordable Care Act]," he said in a statement. "Additionally, the bill repeals the individual and employer mandates, taxes on prescription and over the counter medications, health insurance premiums and medical devices."

"No" Voters

Rep. Suozzi released a statement on Thursday to say elected officials need to mend the Affordable Care Act, not end it.

“I’m disappointed that House Republicans chose not to work with Democrats to create a common-sense bill,” Suozzi said. “I encourage the Senate to disregard this legislation and instead focus on working together in bipartisan fashion to produce a bill that improves upon the ACA and offers all Americans high-quality, affordable health care.

“For New Yorkers, this legislation leaves 2.7 million people without proper access to health insurance,” Suozzi said. “$4.7 billion dollars will be cut from our state’s Medicaid budget, putting 7 million people who rely on Medicaid services and other important programs at risk.”

Rep. Rice said the AHCA would cut taxes for the rich, increase costs for seniors and attack women by de-funding Planned Parenthood.

“House Republicans rushed to pass this bill before anyone could know how many more people would lose coverage – just to fulfill a campaign promise, give President Trump a so-called ‘win,’ and dump this disaster off on the Senate," Rice said. "Some members even admitted that they’d vote for it just so the Senate can change it and send back a completely different bill. Today’s vote was a win for the wealthy and the Washington way of doing business, and a devastating loss for everyone else in America."

The bill now heads to the Senate. President Donald Trump said he feels “so confident” the American Health Care Act will pass through the Senate.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images News/Getty Images