This young woman has worked hard for years, despite having Crohn's disease for almost 5 years.
She's stable for now. The pills for Crohn's stopped working for her almost 2 years ago, with a quick and miserable decline in her health, so now she gets a 3-5 hour IV medication every 7 weeks, for $11,000, in addition to 11 pills a day for $1000+ per month (price has doubled in 4 years) and a medication patch.
If the IV fails, which it is has for some, there's an expensive shot she can try. If that fails, as it has for some, then she risks joining the thousands who have had intestines removed.
She's worked hard enough that she has the grades and enough college courses completed that she'll be entering college this Fall as a sophomore. Despite her love of the arts, she plans to become a CPA, hopefully in 4 years with a Masters degrees.
Yesterday she job shadowed at an accounting firm, where she shared her progress on her senior project. She's good. She will be successful.
But that's with the protection of ACA/Obamacare.
With ACA/Obamacare, she was guaranteed to stay on Steve's health insurance through college, until she could support herself. No asking for handouts. Continued care, the best chances for her health and future.
Then when she enters the workforce full time, she could not be denied health insurance due to the pre-existing condition of Crohn's. ACA also protects her from limits on health insurance - she would use up a million dollar cap in less than 10 years.
But the GOP Senate voted against those protections early this morning, in the middle of the night.
If they are successful in repealing these protections (not a handout - we've paid $20,000 out of pocket for healthcare each year) Sophie's future could be very different than a healthy, self-sufficient, contributing member of society.
She could lose her coverage under her parent if the rule is changed before she finishes college.
She can be denied health insurance because of her pre-existing condition.
She may only be able to receive insurance with unaffordable premiums, making her poor before she ever gets a chance to succeed.
She may find affordable insurance, but it may not cover these last two pricey medications that are keeping her intestines in place.
She may not find insurance, and have to go on Medicaid, as some young people with Crohn's already are, which doesn't cover the medications that work for her.
She'll be set up to be sick (losing medication- the effects take place rapidly without them) or poor, trying to get an education and insurance at the same time, before she ever gets a chance.
She's not the only one. There are many people who you all know that are directly and severely affected by what's happening right now, and it's happening quickly, and sometimes overnight.
ACA/Obamacare isn't perfect. Even phone apps need updates and bug fixes.
But repealing its protections without a comparable replacement ready to go immediately can have profound effects on people's lives. And we're fighting for this one in particular.
and The William too!
