With the devastating prospect of repealing The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), I couldn’t keep silent about its affect on me.
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In one word, Obamacare has meant for me – Life! In 2015 I was diagnosed with both Colon and Breast Cancer. After a job loss because of the Recession in 2008, my husband and I were without healthcare. When President Obama made possible a right I believe every American citizen should have, Healthcare, we could afford a plan with the help of the subsidies.
If not for Obamacare, we would have faced the daunting challenge of fighting Cancer without insurance and the possibility of not receiving the necessary treatment to save my life.
It is unspeakable to me how anyone feels they have the right to deny their fellow citizens access to proper healthcare and quality of life especially while enjoying their own. If the Republican Party gets their way, nearly 30 million people will lose their health care coverage.
That’s 30 million people who could be placed in a position where they’re made to choose between getting the preventative care they need or be forced to go to the emergency room when it’s already too late.
One of those 30 million people could be your cousin, your neighbor, your coworker, or a parent whose child sits next to yours in school every day. One of them could be you.
The fight for affordable care is bigger than politics. It’s a fight to say that we won’t turn our backs on each other when someone needs us the most. It’s a fight about our humanity.
For me, Cancer came out of left field and obviously nothing I would wish on my worst enemy. We never know what tomorrow holds, so be careful about looking at Obamacare from an “It’s not helping me” position, and think about how it benefits those who may have died because of not having access to health insurance.
“This is my doctrine: Give every other human being every right you claim for yourself.”
Robert G. Ingersoll, The Liberty of Man, Woman, and Child
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So, let’s work together to make the necessary improvements needed to make The Affordable Care Act work for everyone and continue to bring dignity and hope to millions of Americans.
Living in the Moment 