Life; the inalienable right.
America has spoken, and this is our new reality and new leadership, having all three branches of government focused on a Republican agenda. I am fairly moderate in political views, so agree with some of their political goals, one key piece that allows me to continue to provide for my family is the Affordable Care Act, and specifically its clauses on Pre-existing conditions.
That’s the piece that has me most worried about the future of my family, since right now, I can’t get life insurance for my daughter, because she has Cystic Fibrosis; all the companies take one look at that and reject it. But I can get her health insurance, because under the current law, health insurance companies can’t bar her outright because she has CF.
If the Affordable Care Act gets completely scrapped because the Republican agenda wants to reverse all its policies, that one will have a devastating affect on my family. Right now the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the laboratories working with them have produced some amazing breakthroughs and medicines that do actually treat the underlying cause of CF! The first of those medicines to reach the market, Kalydeco, has been very successful in improving the health of those taking it. But it costs $300,000/year to get. Kalydeco won’t work for my daughter’s specific mutation, but the newer Orkambi does, and it has a $260,000/year price tag. With insurance, I can afford that medication for my daughter. Without it, I have to find a way to explain to my daughter that it’s possible for her to be healthy, but I can’t help her get there, which is a terrible place for a father to be.
So, if you haven’t heard of any examples of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare working for anyone, let me assure you that there are people it’s working for, and you know one of them. If there’s changes to be made to the Affordable Care Act, by all means, let’s work to make it more robust! But before any wholesale cutting of the whole program, I urge you to keep the Pre-existing Condition coverage as it is in whatever program is designed to replace it, as all life is precious, and no one should have to tell their child they’re too expensive to keep healthy, especially when there’s existing, available treatments for their condition.
I realize I’m effectively asking you all for money; we’ll probably all need to pay a little more for healthcare, and the healthy people subsidize the unhealthy in order for it to financially work. Are you willing to do that? If everyone is chipping in a little, people with conditions like my daughter can be healthy. If it’s every man for themselves, the unlucky few with severe health problems will get sicker even if there are treatments, if they can’t afford them.
Several people may rant about leaving the country after the current change of power without actually meaning it, but now I’m in a position as a father where I am researching other countries’ universal health care coverage, as that may be what I have to do to be able to provide for the health of my family.
