With a Republican in office and the party leading both the House and Senate, a huge focus right now in politics is repealing and replacing Obamacare; however, the move is being met with tons of controversy even amongst GOP congressmen. Though a version of the new American Healthcare Act, now dubbed Trumpcare, was passed in the House, it’s not going so well in the Senate. As details emerge of what’s in the bill, more and more Americans are voicing their concerns and, with examples of what could happen under Trumpcare, it totally makes sense that they’re worried.
One such detail in Trumpcare is that the bill would allow insurance companies to reinstate what’s called a “lifetime cap,” which was banned under Obamacare. A lifetime cap is when companies put a monetary cap on the amount of money they will dole out for someone’s healthcare needs, but when they have reached that cap the person will no longer be insured by them. After this cap has been met, the person certainly will not be approved for any insurance with any other companies and will likely die from not being able to afford to pay out-of-pocket expenses.
Mother and registered nurse Ali Chandra was faced with the dilemma of what kind of care her unborn son would be eligible for in March 2014, when she was undergoing a routine sonogram and discovered that her son would be born with heterotaxy and severe heart defects. He was born in July and survived his first surgery at just 6 days old with the help of Obamacare, which served as a stopgap for her son when her former insurance wouldn’t cover her son’s issues and the family didn’t have money for other options.
With his third birthday occurring just last weekend, her son Ethan is healthy and has overcome so many surgeries and healthcare scares, but he’s happy and fighting with each obstacle. Chandra took to Twitter last week to share the hospital bill that her family received after her son’s recent surgery in February 2017 as a way to encourage others to make sure Trumpcare doesn’t happen.
“I don’t think anyone can look a 2-year-old child in the face and say ‘I think that you’re not worth it,’ ” Chandratold the Washington Post. “What they’re doing with a lifetime cap is saying you have used up enough resources. I’m sorry that you were born sick. I’m sorry that your mother chose life for you, but now that life is not worth saving anymore.”
Chandra started out by sharing this outrageous hospital bill she recently received…
It seems fitting that, with the #TrumpCare debate raging, I got this bill in the mail today from Ethan's most recent open heart surgery. pic.twitter.com/pyUE2UxbWW
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
…which turned out to be not so bad because they have amazing healthcare insurance.
He's had four of these surgeries, some more involved than others. The one before this had him in the CICU for three weeks.
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
We're hopeful that going forwards he'll need fewer and smaller surgeries, but this was not the last time they'll open his chest.
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
We also regularly see a local cardiologist, and electrophysiologist for his pacemaker, a pediatrician, & immunology for his polysplenia.
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
We're going to be adding pulmonology to his team after we give him a summer break. The longest he's ever gone between appointments: 5 weeks.
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
He takes 5 different prescription medications multiple times a day. All of this adds up. None of this would be possible without insurance.
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
Without insurance, the prescriptions alone would be expensive enough to make the family broke.
And I want you to go look at that number again. Nearly a quarter million dollars for one surgery. Reinstate lifetime caps and he's out.
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
He blew past the million dollar mark long ago; I haven't even mentioned the ER trips for sepsis workups every time his temp goes above 100.4
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
We've had two of those already this year. pic.twitter.com/zKhw4StSBx
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
A lifetime cap on benefits is the same as saying, "Sorry, you're not worth keeping alive anymore. You're just too expensive."
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
Where is the outrage from the pro-lifers?
Tell that to the boy who picks me bouquets of sticks instead of flowers because he loves them better so he's sure I will too. pic.twitter.com/Zu987SCGTK
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
Tell that to the boy who wraps his warm arms around my neck and snuggles close after a nap. pic.twitter.com/zznY4S7QtM
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
Look my son in the eyes and tell him that he's fought so hard to be here but sorry, you're just not worth it anymore. I dare you. pic.twitter.com/IgdQOounyB
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
If you call yourselves pro-life, you need to fight for life from beginning to end. That's what Ethan's doing, what we're doing. Join us.
— Alison Chandra (@aliranger29) June 24, 2017
This story is truly heartwarming, and Chandra and her family received an outpouring of support from people with similar stories or those who simply sympathize with people who rely on good health insurance like Ethan does. Since Trumpcare in its current form would take healthcare away from 22 million people in the next few years, this family and millions of others in the nation are raising their voices to be heard. By putting a face to the cause, it can humanize the issue more, rather than just continuing to use figures and facts to represent the complex issue that is healthcare.
