As moms, there’s a certain time when it just doesn’t matter where our beliefs lie on the political spectrum. That time is when our children’s lives are at stake. If our kids are threatened or endangered, we go full Mama Bear, because our job—a job that we take very, very seriously and are very, very good at, by the way—is to keep our babies safe.
The American Health Care Act was recently passed by the House and is now headed to the Senate. If passed, it would mean huge changes to how our families’ health is cared for. No one would be exempt from those changes, and those of us with preexisting conditions are feeling especially adrift. A friend of ours is so horrified by what the changes would mean to her 3-year-old daughter’s future, she was moved to write this letter—and, through our tears, we are privileged to share it.
I was extremely disappointed to hear the news that U.S. House of Representatives has passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA). This issue is important to me personally. My three-year-old daughter has Type 1 Diabetes and will have a pre-existing condition for the rest of her life. She should be supported rather than penalized for a condition she did not cause or could not prevent.
Our representatives should be supporting the efforts to help those that are sick and need medication and not trying to ensure that insurance companies are profitable. Insurance companies are profitable and don’t need assistance. Individuals like my three-year-old daughter needs assistance when taking insulin at least 4 times per day to keep her alive and healthy. As a parent, I should be aided with the costs associated with managing her diabetes and when I am trying to give her a “normal” childhood. Managing my daughter’s type 1 diabetes is not a choice that I should have to make against other bills, because her life is at stake. Tears are streaming down my face as I type because I cannot imagine having to put my little girl in a child size coffin because I couldn’t afford the medication (that is readily available) she required.
Please do not follow the path of the U.S. House of Representatives and I am asking you to fight for my daughter and my family.
Thank you.
On The Rocks 