To the Editor:

I am writing to acknowledge and encourage the 290 protesters in Canton who stood up against Elise Stefanik’s decision to vote to appeal the Affordable Care Act.

At the moment, no replacement exists, but this did not stop Stefanik from voting to remove coverage for almost one in ten people in St. Lawrence County.

In fact, this 10 percent increase in the number of uninsured will occur across Stefanik’s entire district. In addition, there will be a loss of $11.1 million in Medicaid funding for her district, money which helped to alleviate the strain on the 18.9 percent in the area who are in poverty.

The human cost of 84,824 uninsured following repeal is staggering and it reveals Stefanik’s willingness to ignore her own constituents needs in the name of following the party line.

Matt Monierre

Potsdam