Southern Christian Coalition Praises Sen. Bob Corker

Christian Leaders Across Tennessee Issue Response to Senator Corker Urging Fellow Republicans to Reconsider Their Rush to Repeal the Affordable Care Act  

Nashville, TN — Members of a non-partisan, grassroots Christian group are praising Tennessee Senator Bob Corker today for his statements cautioning against repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) without first having a solid replacment plan in place.

Senator Corker acknowledged at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor that repeal without a replacement could cause financial problems for our country in a story by RollCall yesterday.  According to a story today, January 6th in Bloomberg Senator Corker said, “repeal and replacement should take place simultaneously.”

Several ministers with the Southern Christian Coalition addressed the issue from a moral perspective. “As Christians we have a responsibility to speak out on the repeal of the ACA without a plan for replacement, simply based on the health and moral consequences of millions of Americans losing health care,” said Reverend Sherry Cothran, Pastor, of St. John’s West UMC in Nashville, TN. “I applaud Senator Corker for acknowledging our concerns and opposing repeal of the Affordable Care Act without a replacement,” said Reverend Jim Sessions of Knoxville, TN. “Repealing the ACA without a plan couldn’t be further from Christian values as it would rip health care from millions of Americans and would have dire consequences for members of my congregation and people across our state and country.” “We are praying that Senator Alexander and Senator Corker have the resolve to stand up to political pressure, and to remember the story of the Good Samaritan and Jesus’ challenge to care for the vulnerable and to commit to support Christian values, vote no on repealing the Affordable Care Act,” Reverend Sessions added. “Let’s be clear: a vote for the bill that repeals the Affordable Care Act is a vote to double the number of uninsured children in America, leaving an additional four million children uninsured and take insurance away from 30 million Americans, 82% of whom are in working families,” said Sessions. Sessions also noted the repeal would:

• Give hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to the wealthy, insurance companies, and drug manufacturers, while eliminating tax credits for millions of working families.
• Cause healthcare premiums to increase by more than 50% for millions of Americans.
• Increase taxes on millions of people who purchase their own insurance by more than $3,000 by abolishing health care tax credits.
• Let America’s largest corporations off the hook for providing healthcare for their employees by eliminating the requirement that companies with more than 50 employees provide insurance benefits,
• Take health coverage away from millions of low and moderate income Americans by cutting funding for Medicaid expansion.
• Cut off federal funds for preventive care to millions.

In early December, the Southern Christian Coalition launched a campaign calling on Senator Alexander and Senator Corker to “This Christmas commit to upholding Christian values, Oppose Repeal of the Affordable Care Act Without a Replacement, or Millions Will Lose Health Care” “The real test for Senator Alexander and Senator Corker will be their vote on the reconciliation bill. We are encouraged by Senator Corker’s statement, and are praying for his and Senator Alexander’s resolve.” said Sessions. About the Southern Christian Coalition: The Southern Christian Coalition is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization believing that political debate has hijacked the pulpit, often distorting the values of our faith as we weigh important decisions as a society. We are Christians speaking up for the values of our faith. ###]]>