Illinois to Rep. Walsh: Move forward, not back; No government shutdown! No defunding the Affordable Care Act!
 (From The Campaign for Better Health Care)
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Illinois – The Campaign for Better Health Care (CBHC) came out against Rep. Joe Walsh’s crusade to defund the Affordable Care Act by shutting down the federal government. “This is nothing more than an ineffective approach led by an ineffective leader. Politicians are supposed to present ideas, create solutions, and forge partnerships. Rep. Walsh wants to eliminate the law that is already helping tens of thousands of his constituents – including his own family,” said Jim Duffett, CBHC Executive Director.
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Rep. Walsh’s wife has a pre-existing condition. After the Representative decided to forgo his federal health insurance plan, his family quickly realized why the Affordable Care Act is so important. Health insurance companies refused to cover his wife and the family was left scrambling to find coverage.Â
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But despite all of that, Rep. Walsh is still determined to repeal the ACA and its patient protections to force 32 million Americans who now will have access to health care coverage back under the control of insurance companies – so they too can be denied coverage.
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“This is not the leadership we need to move our country forward,” said Duffett.
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CBHC believes the people of the 8th District deserve better. People like Tim Fraas of Elgin, IL, who needed a heart transplant in 2008 because of a serious health condition: congestive heart failure. “My operation alone cost $750,000; not to mention the expensive medications and procedures I still require. Luckily, I had great insurance through my wife’s employer. But even with good insurance, we are over $60,000 in debt to the hospital, and we spend over $200 a month on my medications,” Fraas explained. “Without insurance it would be over $1900 a month. And with the ongoing checkups and expensive medications, I am nearing my lifetime benefit cap – and then what happens?”
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Tim was a huge, healthy man; and within three years, he was disabled with a new heart inside of him – it could have been anybody. However, with the Affordable Care Act in place, insurance companies can no longer set lifetime limits on benefits, and Tim knows his coverage will not be taken away when he needs it the most.Â
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Tim’s 24 year old daughter Amanda works 3 part time jobs to put herself through college – she is studying to become an American Sign Language interpreter. “She would have already been dropped from our insurance policy if it was not for the Affordable Care Act – but now my wife and I rest easy knowing that she’ll have coverage until she graduates and can find a job,” said Fraas.
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The Affordable Care Act is not just “ObamaCare†– it’s also AmandaCare, it’s TimCare, it’s EveryoneCare. Clearly, Rep. Walsh just doesn’t get it. He thinks defunding or repealing the Affordable Care Act will improve our health care system. He’s wrong. His idea of success will take Tim, his daughter, and all of us back to the days when the insurance industry could deny or drop your care for no reason and insurance companies operated with impunity.Â
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“The law is not perfect. And yes, we should work to make it better. But what we shouldn’t do is throw up our hands and throw it all away. The Affordable Care Act is working for millions of Americans and Congress should move forward instead of taking us back,” concluded Duffett.
