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Rep. Linda Sanchez has a plan for how to approach Democrats' upcoming fight with Republicans over healthcare: Keep talking about it.

As Republicans race to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Democrats and supporters of President Obama's signature health care law need to emphasize to Republicans how many people rely on the act and have benefited from it, said Sanchez (D-Whittier).

They need to hear from their constituents what a lifeline it really is, Sanchez said. There seems to be this lack of understanding or appreciation of what real families are living with in terms of their health care needs.

Ahead of Friday's inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, Sanchez sat down with Times' reporters and editors Tuesday afternoon to talk about Trump, and her plans as the newest member of House leadership.

Republicans are hustling to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also called the ACA or Obamacare, soon after Trump takes office, but it isn't clear yet what will be proposed in its place, or when that replacement will presented.

Were gearing up for that fight. California stands to lose a lot if ACA is repealed, she said. We are going to be getting the message out, not just about the individuals who are impacted negatively if it goes away, but the job losses that could occur and the fact that the state of California itself is at risk for losing billions of dollars in funding.

Last month, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) asked top political figures across the countryfor input on how to replace the Affordable Care Act. The response from California Gov. Jerry Brown and state leaders was abundant and grim.

A report released in December from theUC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education shows if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, 5 million Californians could lose health insurance, 200,000 healthcare related jobs could disappear,andMedicaid funding and individual subsidies losses could equal $20.5 billion.

She said as the public learns more about what was in the Affordable Care Act like access tocancer screenings and no copays for checkups or birth control the more frustrated they'll become with the prospect of repeal without a replacement plan.

Republicans are so good as messaging theyve managed to convince everybody that Obamacare is bad, even if they are beneficiaries of it. But, you take it away from folks and suddenly they are going to understand exactly what Obamacare was and meant, she said.

Sanchez also said that while she respects the dozens of members who have decided not to attend the inauguration Friday, including 16 Californians ,she's going to make a point.

My goal is to be front and center, she said. Im going to be the biggest pain in the neck that I can be.

Sanchez said she wants to be the member Trump hates to see because she is constantly hounding him on immigration, healthcare and other priorities for her mostly southeast L.A. County district.

My role in the next four years is to be as vocal an advocate as I can for what my constituents want and need and I will put myself in Donald Trumps path at every turn to confront him about these issues, Sanchez said.

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Here's one way Rep. Linda Sanchez thinks Democrats should fight Obamacare repeal - Los Angeles Times