Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) appeared on Wednesday's edition of "All in With Chris Hayes," admitting that the government's priorities on sequestration were not carried out in the right order.
Ellmers introduced a bill last month aimed at preventing sequestration cuts from harming cancer patients on Medicare. As of April 1, payments under that plan for cancer-related drugs and services suffered a two percent cut. Two days later, The Washington Post detailed how that hit displaced thousands of cancer patients, leaving them long distances or hospital capacity issues.
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama signed a bill ending furloughs on air traffic controllers -- a measure that swiftly passed the House and Senate over a two-day span. When asked by Hayes what her reaction was to Congress fixing the FAA's situation first, Ellmers leveled about how she felt.
"I have to admit, I, like so many, were saying, you know, this is a very important issue," Ellmers said. "We don't want people waiting in lines in airports. But at the same time, when we have cancer patients, who are vulnerable and need our help, I really thought that should've been the place that we should've gone first."
Hayes then pressed Ellmers on her decision to vote for the FAA bill, asking if she had "given away the leverage" to get cancer patients their care. Ellmers thought otherwise, vowing that it "actually helps our cause" because "we've seen that we can actually vote."
For the full segment from Wednesday's edition of "All In With Chris Hayes," click here.
Also on HuffPost:
via http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/02/renee-ellmers-cancer-patients_n_3198411.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living&ir=Healthy%20Living
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