“People who lead good lives, don’t have pre-existing conditions,” please tell that to my daughters and the thousands of other sick children that are brought into this world everyday.
WITHOUT MEDICAID COVERAGE, CHARLEE AND LENNIX WOULD BE DEAD
In my heart of hearts, I can’t wrap my brain around how anyone can support this. Now, for the record, I am not saying the ACA was perfect; it definitely needed some TLC, but the AHCA is a disgrace. Millions of American’s rely on Medicaid, have pre-existing conditions and need affordable healthcare. What I don’t think people understand is that this is way more than “Pro-Trump, Anti-Trump,” this is about basic human rights.
Everyday we sit in our homes, and believe we live in the greatest country in the world, but how does this make us great? Denying millions of people affordable healthcare doesn’t make us great. Increasing the death toll of children doesn’t make us great.
Making parents choose if they can afford to keep their child alive doesn’t make us great.
Let me break down some topics that are scary – according to The Washington Post, this new bill will take health insurance away from at least 24 million Americans.
These people are people that WE know, these aren’t strangers, these are our children, our sisters, our grandparents, our friends, YOU & ME. This bill will allow insurers to charge skyrocket premiums to people with pre-existing conditions. According to Time Magazine, allergies, acne, a previous C-section, are all possible pre-existing conditions that could fall under this statue. It also provides hundreds of billions of tax cuts for families making over $250,000 a year.
Public documentation shows this new bill would also take away Medicaid expansion, which provided no-cost health coverage to millions of American’s – now I can already hear it “why should I have to pay for someone else’s health care,” because as humans in this “great country” that’s just what we should do. We should take care of those people that need our help; veterans, homeless, single parents, sick kids, our grandparents and so on.
As a mom, there is one part of the Affordable Health Care Act that stings a little more than most – it will allow insurers to impose yearly and lifetime caps on coverage. Now this is one, personally, makes my stomach turn. Between Lennix’s monthly medical supplies and seizure medicine, we easily spend over $20,000 a month.
Think about it, if they put a cap on coverage, she would be limited to the amount of medically necessary supplies she can get and the amount of seizure meds she can have.
Her medical supplies are a necessity, because within that monthly shipment is all of her food she that can eat, her bags that we put her food in to feed her, her extensions that we connect to her stomach that allow the food to go in her belly. Without having those supplies every month, she wouldn’t be able to eat. Unlike you and I, Lennix doesn’t eat by mouth, so these supplies are a necessity for her.
Her seizure meds are an absolute must – without them, she wouldn’t develop because Lennix has such a rare type of Epilepsy that when she has seizures, it stops her development. So let that one sink in for a second, without her medication, she won’t develop.
As a parent, can you imagine hearing those words?
When you have a child who will have lifetime needs, putting a cap on that can be life destroying. We rely on these things every month to allow Lennix to have the best quality of life possible. I haven’t been able to sleep at night knowing that this could all be in jeopardy.
As a parent of two children with pre-existing conditions, “Trumpcare” is terrifying. Children like mine are born every single day and rely on Medicaid to keep them alive – this is a fact. There is no way parents can afford the care that these children need.
Between both girls, we would be in debt over millions of dollars; realistically, they wouldn’t be alive without Medicaid coverage. Let me say that one more time –
WITHOUT MEDICAID COVERAGE, CHARLEE AND LENNIX WOULD BE DEAD.
This is the fear that millions of American’s are now going to face – choosing to go bankrupt to keep themselves or their child alive. How can you sleep at night knowing this is what is happening around us? I can’t.
It feels like I am being told my kids aren’t important enough to save. Say that to yourself, just once, and tell me the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach? Imagine just for a second that your child’s quality of life is in the hands of old, rich, white men. My heart hurts, I am sick to my stomach and I am losing sleep over these possibilities.
Has it passed through the Senate yet, no, but the possibility of passage as the proposal sits now, terrifies me.
This is what greed looks like. Healthcare has always been and should always be a basic human right.
<3 Alexis
