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Nearly two dozen concerned citizens gathered in front of state Rep. Scott DesJarlais' office on West Main Street Wednesday afternoon to protest repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Protesters held signs with slogans like "Obamacare saves lies," "Insure Tennessee" and "No Repeal" as they chanted, "Save our healthcare" and "Hey, hey, DesJarlais, don't repeal our ACA."

"Our friends, our neighbors ... all need health coverage and we're asking DesJarlais to reconsider repealing the ACA. Repair it, replace it, whatever, but don't repeal it," said Gayle Jordan, who ran against state Rep. Jim Tracy in November.

Bob Barker, who spent 30 years in the insurance industry, said a statement of "repeal it" isn't going to solve the problem. Issues go much deeper than simply getting rid of the ACA. And, so far, he said he hasn't seen any proposals that would fix the problems.

"I think we need everybody enrolled, however you want to manage that, and I think we need to pay for it with payroll taxes," Barker said.

Affordable is the operative term with ACA, also dubbed "Obamacare" by many in opposition.

"It's not affordable for a lot of reasons. A lot of people can't pass (insurance) underwriting if you put (pre-existing conditions clause) back in it," Barker said. "If your family premium is $20,000 with a $5,000 deductible and $6,400 out of pocket, that's unsustainable."

Eliott Canter said people are “asking the wrong question” about ACA. Instead, Americans should be asking, “Why is it they want to repeal it in the first place? … This was a Republican health plan put together by the Heritage Foundation. Why are they running away from their own plan?

“It’s because folks who are the top earners are paying for it out of their taxes. This comes at a significant tax break for very, very wealthy people.”

Calling it “Obamacare” vilified the Affordable Care Act and gave a foothold on putting a negative spin on it, Canter said. He also blamed the president and administration for not properly educating and advertising the ACA.

“People want the truth. They need affordable healthcare. If other industrial countries … who don’t have our (gross domestic product) … can do it, we certainly should be able to do it,” Canter said.

Rep. DesJarlais was not in Murfreesboro during the protest, but his office did contact him about the incident and he released a statement:

"I appreciate the protesters’ concern for our fellow Tennesseans. I share their goal of more accessible, quality, affordable health care, the reason a large majority of my constituents want Republicans in Congress and the White House to repeal Obamacare," DesJarlais said in the statement. "The unpopular law has failed Tennessee. Costs for consumers and taxpayers have risen dramatically, while the law has also cost many their incomes, jobs and benefits. I’m committed to replacing it with reforms that deliver better healthcare in a growing economy, where Tennesseans have more options than a government-run program.”

Reach reporter Nancy De Gennaro at or 615-278-5148 and follow her on Twitter @DNJMama.

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