Americans Living with Pre-Existing Conditions Speak Out Against Trumpcare

WASINGTON, D.C.- United States Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Americans living with serious and chronic diseases, survivors, and advocates to highlight how Trumpcare undermines protections for Americans living with pre-existing conditions.

Ian Lock, a survivor of Osteosarcoma diagnosed during his sophomore year of high school, Marques Jones, a Virginia resident living with Multiple Sclerosis, and Jill Hale, a parent of a child living with Cystic Fibrosis share their fears of skyrocketing costs and reduced coverage under Trumpcare.

“Health care is a right, not a privilege reserved for those who can afford coverage. Particularly for people living with serious diseases, Trumpcare sends a clear message – you’re on your own,” said Senator Hirono. “Americans with pre-existing conditions would suffer under Trumpcare. That’s why we will do everything we can to fight this mean bill.”

"An especially cruel aspect of the Republican Trumpcare plan is the harm and uncertainty it would cause to those dealing with the most serious, chronic diseases," said Senator Murray. "By reimposing lifetime coverage limits in particular, millions of patients—cancer survivors, children with pre-existing conditions, and many more—stand to experience skyrocketing costs associated with living with their medical conditions. It's not hard to see why Republican leaders tried so hard to hide their bill—and they're absolutely right to be ashamed.”

“Cancer has affected my life in so many ways. I cannot stand by as the cancer that devastated my family when I was 16 continues to haunt me, not only in the possibility of it coming back, but also being placed in a group with ‘pre-existing conditions,’” said Ian Lock, a survivor of Osteosarcoma diagnosed during his sophomore year of high school. “Unaffordable healthcare is a terrifying thought when there will always be the possibility that I, and so many other childhood cancer survivors, will hear those words ‘You have Cancer’ again.”

The Senate Trumpcare bill released today could subject millions individuals with pre-existing conditions to lifetime and annual limits and skimpy coverage. It would also erode essential health benefit protections for millions of Americans.

Click here to watch the press conference.

Senator Hirono speaks with Jill Hile, Jill’s daughter Abbi, and friend Megan. Jill’s daughter Alison has Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disease.

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