GAINESVILLE, Ga –Bullhorns and chants of “What do we want? Healthcare! When do we want it? Now!” broke the silence outside 9^th District Congressman Doug Collins office Tuesday morning as Democrats from across north Georgia protested the congressman and his support for the American Health Care Act.

One of the protest organizers, Marie Head of Jasper-based Appalachian Indivisible, said, “We’re upset with Representative Collins’ vote on the American Health Care Act. It’s going to put people with preexisting conditions without insurance and on top of that, it’s going to skyrocket their premiums. They voted on this without having it scored (by the Congressional Budget Office) so 23 million people in this country are going to be without healthcare if it passes the Senate.”

The bill has not passed the Senate and there are indications it may be in for a massive rewrite, so protesting the act now could be premature. While the AHCA may be the main issue that brought the group to Gainesville, it was clearly not the only issue they protested. One sign read: “Global Warming Isn’t a Hoax. Another protested Russian interference in America’s elections.

Head said, “The thing we’re most upset about is that Rep. Collins won’t talk to us about why he voted for something like this. I did talk to his staff one time, but we would like to sit down with him and really understand his vote. There are a lot of people who deserve to hear why he voted the way he did.”

Standing on the sidewalk beneath Collins’ second-floor window, some of the protesters shouted for the congressman to “look out your window” and “come down and talk to us.” Even aided by the bullhorn, it’s unlikely the voices carried all the way to Washington where Collins was working to represent his district Tuesday.

Collins has clearly explained his vote for AHCA, however. In a March press release, he said, “For seven years, I have watched Obamacare afflict my neighbors with soaring insurance costs and narrowing health care options. Obamacare shattered the insurance market, and Americans now struggle first to afford insurance and then to find providers that accept it.

“Obamacare saddled businesses and individuals with mandates that robbed them of their freedom to choose health care options that make sense for them. Our families, our workers and our economy have born the weight of bureaucratized medicine for too long. The American Health Care Act removes that burden and demands compassion for both the healthy and vulnerable, the born and the unborn. I have seen the grief that Obamacare has brought to northeast Georgians and have worked for my entire tenure in Congress to repeal this destructive law.”

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Marie Head addresses protesters Tuesday.

Protest Signs Outside Rep. Collins office.

Crowd of protesters outside Collins’ office.