Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) is the chair of the House Republican Conference. As stories about how the American Health Care Act (AHCA) will bring about the next apocalypse are tossed into the mix by the liberal media, Rodgers thought it was necessary to write about her son’s Down Syndrome being one of the reasons why she voted for the AHCA. In an op-ed for The Washington Post, she added how it doesn’t strip protections for pre-existing conditions, how it returns to patient-centered care, and how it’s the first step towards establishing a health care system that works. Obamacare is failing. It’s cost millions of Americans their coverage. The middle class cannot afford it. And premiums have soared through the roof with no end in sight. It’s worth a read:
Hearing late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s emotional monologue this week about his son’s condition and his family’s experience in the moments after his birth, I had a flashback to the day my son was born and we learned he had Down syndrome.My husband and I had a lot of questions about Cole’s future. Whether he’d have health care shouldn’t have had to be one of them. When you’re facing years of doctor’s appointments, you want to know that having a preexisting condition, such as an extra 21st chromosome or a heart defect, won’t prevent you or your loved ones from accessing the care you need.
Protections for children such as Cole Rodgers and Billy Kimmel have long existed, as they should. And despite what people are saying, House Republicans aren’t seeking to strip these protections — or anyone’s protections — away.
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We’re working hard to build a health-care system that puts the American people back at the center of their health decisions. We’ve had conversations — tough conversations — with people from all walks of life, and we’ve passed a bill that we’re confident will improve lives.
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At each point of our process to repeal Obamacare, we have not lost sight of our responsibility to the most vulnerable in our communities. Safety nets and protections are important and must be maintained for those who need them most. Our plan accomplishes this mission in two key ways: by guaranteeing that access to health coverage can’t be denied for people with preexisting conditions, and by empowering states to innovate with new models for better patient outcomes at a lower cost.
This bill isn’t perfect. It doesn’t include every single component I wanted. But it came down to the AHCA or the continued disaster of Obamacare, which was an easy choice.
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