It's hard not to take it personally that House Republicans just voted to make it harder for people with pre-existing conditions to receive health insurance.
I'm one of them.
Last year, I read a story in the local news of a mom in the town where I’m mayor – Middletown, Connecticut – who had a hereditary disease and desperately needed a kidney donor. As I learned about her family, I thought about my own. I wondered what it would mean for my children to lose me, my wife Kate, or to watch as one of us went through costly dialysis treatments for the rest of our lives.
So I applied to be a donor.
When I learned that my kidney was a match, I was thrilled to share it with her -- and I'd make that same choice a thousand times over if I could.
But there was something I hadn’t considered before donating my kidney, and one that nobody becoming a live organ donor should ever have to consider:
By giving up an organ to another person, I became one of over 500,000 people in Connecticut with a preexisting condition that would allow health insurance companies to deny coverage to me and my family if TrumpCare becomes law.
President Trump's healthcare bill is morally wrong, in additional to being an economic assault on working people and middle-class families.
I guarantee that you know someone who could lose their healthcare coverage if TrumpCare becomes law. That means more medical bankruptcies, more pressure on local hospitals to absorb the cost of treating uninsured patients, fewer jobs in hospitals and clinics, and more of your neighbors who will go without treatment, risking their health and yours.
Republicans in the House knew this, but they voted for TrumpCare anyway. They couldn’t resist an average tax giveaway of $50,000 for their millionaire and billionaire friends. And when they were criticized for this massive redistribution of wealth, they actually told people who could lose their coverage to move to another state or to get a better job with decent insurance. That’s just ridiculous.
I believe every family has a right to healthcare, regardless of their income or any preexisting conditions. That's why I will fight to bring a state-based public option to Connecticut, and to enact Medicare for All nationally. And I'll always fight attempts to make working people pay for more tax breaks for the rich.
I'm not giving up. We still have the chance to put pressure on the Senate to reject TrumpCare, but we can't waste any time. Click here to look up your Senators’ Washington office numbers, and call to demand they do everything they can to stop TrumpCare from becoming law. (And if you have strong Democrats like Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal working to stop it already, thank them for their efforts, and urge them to keep up the good work.)
Take action today, and never stop fighting!
- Dan Drew
P.S. – I’m not only the mayor of Middletown, but I’m also exploring a run for governor of Connecticut, because I want our state to continue being a national leader in progressive policies. You can learn more about my record and sign up for updates by visiting DanDrew.com. And you can learn more about live organ donation and becoming a live organ donor by visiting OrganDonor.gov.