Raja's Guest to President Trump's Congressional Address Is Facing The Loss of Life-Saving Health Care if Affordable Care Act Repealed
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi announced earlier today that his guest for the President's address to Congress on Tuesday would be constituent Debbie Trueblood, a woman who could lose her life-saving health care if the Affordable Care Act is repealed without an effective replacement.
Trueblood, who reached out to Congressman Krishnamoorthi's office in support of the Affordable Care Act, suffers from Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) which is a rare, potentially life-threatening genetic condition that can lead to the swelling of airways and death without proper medicine. The only treatment available for the condition is a handful of specialized, life-saving drugs that can cost more than $100,00 per year.
Before the Affordable Care Act became law, Trueblood could have been denied coverage because HAE is a pre-existing condition, and she would have faced medical bills greatly exceeding her salary that would have driven her to require governmental disability support.
"Because of the Affordable Care Act, I'm able to afford the treatment I need to work, support my family, volunteer in my community, and be of service," said Debbie Trueblood. "Repealing the Affordable Care Act and its protections would rob people like me not only of our access to affordable health care, but also of our ability to contribute."
Even with employer-provided insurance, Trueblood would have been flagged by insurance companies as an expensive patient, and without Obamacare's protections, she and others with chronic ailments would become targets for denial once again.
"Repealing without effectively replacing the Affordable Care Act would be a disaster for our country that could strip millions of Americans like Debbie of their access to essential health care," said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. "Not only could as many as 30 million Americans lose their health care if the law is repealed, but 52 million people with pre-existing conditions could find it nearly impossible to enroll in a new plan. We need to find solutions to our nation's health care challenges, and making it harder for Americans to afford the care they need to survive is an answer I will never accept."
"As a former small businessman, I also know repealing the Affordable Care Act without replacing it will destroy millions of jobs, devastate our economy and harm millions of middle-class families. Within the 8th District of Illinois, we could lose upwards of more than $550 million from our economy and more than 4,000 jobs."