San Diego small business owners to attend crowdfunded Town Hall on health care; Rep. Issa refuses to attend

Today, San Diego small business owners will attend the crowdfunded and community organized Emergency Town Hall on Healthcare for the 49th Congressional District to express their deep concerns about Congressman Darrell Issa’s proposed replacement to the Affordable Care Act.

Rep. Issa has refused to attend the event, so a cardboard cutout of the congressman will fill his seat. San Diego small business owners and community members will use the event to organize further efforts to advocate for healthcare policies that will support, not hinder, San Diego’s small business-based economy.

Defending his refusal to attend the Town Hall Issa, KPBS reported that spokesman Calvin Moore said the congressman held a telephone town hall meeting at the end of January, “where more than 6,000 constituents had the chance to participate, ask questions, raise concerns and share their ideas with him, speak to him directly.”

“(Issa) doesn’t think that people should have to wait for a town hall in to have their voices heard,” Moore said, “which is why he encourages constructive dialogue, all year long, in through so many different methods — phone, email, surveys, mail, social media and personal meetings.”

San Diego small business owners say a repeal of the Affordable Care Act would threaten the San Diego region’s economic health, leading to higher costs, collapse of the private insurance market and stalled job growth.