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Death Panels Reemerge During Bilirakis ACA Town Hall

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Daylina Miller/WUSF News
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis got another earful Saturday during the second of his “listening sessions,” hearing from advocates on both sides of the Obamacare issue.

More than 300 people came out to the West Pasco County government center for Bilirakis' forum on health care reform, the Tampa Bay Times reported. And the biggest noise came when the secretary of the Pasco Republican Executive Committee said the Affordable Health Care Act contained a provision for death panels, which PolitiFact ranked as its Lie of the Year in 2009.

Bill Akins, 63, of Hudson, elicited howls from the pro-ACA crowd with his comments about death panels, according to the Times.

He was answered with calls of: "You lie! You're lying!" the Times reported.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.