From Progress VA:
7th District Residents Share Health Care Stories Outside Congressman Brat’s Office
Film of this event can be found here.
Glen Allen, Virginia—On Thursday afternoon, several of Congressman Brat’s constituents gathered outside of his district office to share their health care stories and the reasons why the Affordable Care Act is so critical to their families. Congressman Brat voted to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and dismantle the protections it has for people with pre-existing conditions when he voted for the American Health Care Act in 2017. He also voted for the tax scam bill that revoked the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this move will cause health insurance premiums to increase by 10% each year for the next decade.
“My daughters have to pay $1000 per month just to stay alive,” Heather Jenkins, a 7th district resident said Thursday. “My daughters with diabetes are fighting for their lives on a daily basis. They are afraid of having low blood sugar. They are afraid of having to go to the hospital. And now, because of Congressman Brat’s votes, they are afraid that they will lose their health insurance coverage and the disease they have through no fault of their own will cost even more.”
“I have epilepsy, and I depend on the Affordable Care Act to pay for the medication that prevents me from having seizures. I’m always worried that a change in my employment will cause me to lose health insurance,” Beth Hedquist, another 7th district resident said. “Congressman Brat needs to represent all of his constituents, not just the ones who agree with him.”
“Congressman Brat has voted over and over again to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, but he makes these votes without regard for his constituents,” Ashleigh Crocker, Program Director at Progress Virginia, said. “Congressman Brat isn’t a mom who lays awake at night worrying about her son’s deep cough, knowing she should take him to the doctor, but also knowing that would mean she couldn’t afford groceries that month. No one should be in that position, and we’re here today to tell Congressman Brat that voting to chip away at the protections the Affordable Care Act gives working families is unacceptable.”
In 2015, Congressman Brat voted for HR 596, which would have completely repealed the Affordable Care Act without a replacement that would ensure his constituents could still see a doctor when they need to. In May 2017, he voted for the American Health Care Act, which would have caused 23 million Americans to lose their health insurance coverage, including 49,600 in the 7th District.
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
