Letters

Featured letter: The face of Obamacare

CapitolHill

I am a 50-year-old woman, a mother of three, a partner to a wonderful woman, a daughter, sister and a good friend. I am a hard-working taxpayer and an active member of the school and local community. In December, I received a devastating cancer diagnosis, necessitating immediate aggressive treatment in order for me to have any chance of survival.

I am receiving the best of care, for which I am immensely grateful.

I am also one of the many faces of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. As someone who makes my living seasonally (income tax preparer, landscaper, freelance personal organizer), I do not have employer-based health insurance available to me. The plan I have through the NYS Marketplace is comprehensive and is what is keeping me alive.

Right now, some in Congress are rushing to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The stakes couldn’t be higher — repealing Obamacare could take health care away from 30 million Americans, according to a study released last month. Under Obamacare, more than 20 million Americans have gained health care coverage, many for the first time, and the nation’s uninsured rate is at an all-time low. Obamacare contains crucial protections — eliminating lifetime limits on coverage, and banning insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions. We could lose these common-sense protections if Obamacare is repealed. Worst of all, those who are working feverishly to dismantle this program have no concrete plans for what will take its place.

Please contact our representatives in Congress and let them know the impact this reckless action is having on the lives of your neighbors and friends.

The author lives in Riverhead.