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Indiana Republican’s post on Obamacare backfires

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indiana Republican social media post backfired this week after it went viral for the opposite intention.

On Monday, the party asked its Facebook fans to share “Obamacare horror stories.” By Friday, more than 10,000 did, but responses were mainly showing Obamacare support.

“I’m not surprised,” Indianapolis resident Shannon Mears said. “I think so many people today finally are able to go see doctors and that’s a good thing.”

The post grabbed Jack Shepler’s attention. “I saw a lot of my friends sharing their stories and realized that I related to a lot of them,” he said.

The self-employed Hoosier said his horror story happened before Obamacare. “I would not go to the doctor because a doctor’s visit was $200,” Shepler said.

This changed he said following the health care law. “After the (Affordable Care Act) opened, all of a sudden, there are actual health insurance plans available to me,” Shepler said.

Thousands of others shared similar stories, but not everyone is positive. Some did share bad stories, including this person who said, “Our premium is $1,800 a month, with a $5,000 deductible. Please explain to me how this is considered affordable.”

Another said, “Since I’m not eligible for all of these wonderful subsidies everyone talks about, I pay almost $2,000 per month for a family of four.”

Indiana GOP Chairman Kyle Hupfe said in a statement:

This is what you would expect when Democratic National Committee affiliated groups begin to share the message across social media and ask their folks to engage. What we know is that these responses do not represent the majority of Hoosiers who, when asked, time and time again say they want Obamacare repealed.”

It’s a post that may not have gone the way they wanted, but Shepler hopes more are coming. “Please, keep making posts, ask us to share our horror stories, we’ll keep sharing them with you,” Shepler said

A reason why this post may have taken off: U.S. senators are debating a bill that would replace the Affordable Care Act. Not all Republicans are on board, including U.S. Sen. Todd Young from Indiana. Today, his spokesperson says he’s undecided, and is open to the option of repealing Obamacare now, and replacing it later.

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