PENNSYLVANIA — Earlier today, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and Biden For President Pennsylvania kicked off their joint “Health Care is on the Ballot Tour” with U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair Nancy Patton Mills, Johnstown native and breast cancer survivor Amy Raslevich, and Little Lobbyists National Director of Advocacy Erin Gabriel to discuss what’s at stake for the health care of Pennsylvania families in the upcoming election.
Today’s event took place ahead of President Trump’s rally in Johnstown this evening and highlighted what’s at stake if his handpicked judge is confirmed to the Supreme Court and the Affordable Care Act is struck down. It’s part of PDP and BFP PA’s “Health Care is on the Ballot” tour, which will continue Wednesday, October 14th with an event in Northeast PA to discuss how a Biden administration would make health care more affordable for older Pennsylvanians.
A recording of the virtual press conference can be found here, and an audio clip is available here. Check out some of the highlights below:
Chair Nancy Patton Mills, Pennsylvania Democratic Party:
“The president and Washington Republicans are on the verge of destroying our health care system with the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court.That’s because the Trump administration is backing a lawsuit aiming to strike down the Affordable Care Act — a lawsuit that the Supreme Court will hear just one week after the election on November 10…
So make no mistake: health care is on the ballot — as is the health and safety of our families. That’s why you must get out and vote. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to learn more about your voting options and additional instructions on how to cast your ballots at iwillvote.com/PA.”
U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA):
“I think it’d be nice if the president — as a candidate — but maybe especially as a president would explain to the people of Johnstown and Cambria County, how he’s going to preserve the health care they have. And in this case, how he’s going to prevent more than 10,700 people in Cambria County [from] losing coverage. He hasn’t explained that yet. He has no plan [for]how he’s going to protect people of Cambria county who have a pre-existing condition….
He’s had four years. And there’s still no health care plan that will protect people with pre-existing conditions. His party has had a decade — a decade. I call it the decade of Republican politicians’ lies on health care. They’ve never produced a plan that can do all that the Affordable Care Act [does] and do a different way.”
Amy Raslevich, Johnstown native, Breast Cancer Survivor & Health Care Advocate:
“My life changed on July 17 of 2017, I was diagnosed with a very early stage of breast cancer. And [on] September 25 of that year I had a mastectomy and a reconstruction. Following that I was readmitted to the hospital for numerous infections… And as I laid on the couch trying to recover with drains in different parts of my body, [I] panicked because I would see the bills piling up. The ACA even then was protecting me because I blew through whatever annual limits my insurance company may have put in place.
I blew through my lifetime limits very quickly. And the ACA prevented insurance companies from cutting off my insurance. Now I have a lifelong pre-existing condition…We keep hearing that the ACA needs to go but I would be grateful to hear what the replacement is, because I desperately need the protections that are there now.”
Erin Gabriel, Little Lobbyists National Director of Advocacy & Mother of three children with disabilities:
“My youngest daughter Abby just celebrated her 11th Birthday on Saturday — something that was never promised to us…. Abby is Autistic, deaf-blind, nonverbal, and has a rare progressive neurological syndrome affecting multiple organ systems with a long list of life threatening symptoms that we are still trying to learn more about… She relies on protections for people with pre-existing conditions and the ban on lifetime caps to access this care- without the ACA, Abby would be uninsurable…
When Republicans talk about removing or weakening the protections for pre-existing conditions, they mean removing access to the level of care that keeps Abby and kids like her alive…It didn’t have to be this way. Our children deserve so much better. We need real leadership. We need Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
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