Washington, D.C. — A new video relays the personal testimonial of Maggie Chism, a Richmond, Kentucky, native whose daughter, at only 6 days old, began to undergo a series of operations for a congenital heart defect. As Chism explains, Rep. Andy Barr’s (R-KY) vote to repeal health care protections and ongoing efforts to do so put her family at risk.
Click here to watch the video
As Chism states in the video, “When Andy Barr voted to take away coverage of pre-existing conditions, he was saying that our children did not matter. This isn’t a Republican versus Democrat issue. This is about basic human decency.”
The video is part of an ongoing effort by the Center for American Progress Action Fund to provide a platform for real Americans who are being negatively affected by the GOP’s donor-driven agenda.
Unfortunately, this story is familiar to many Kentuckians. According to a CAP analysis, 40,000 people in Kentucky ‘s 6th district ages 17 and below live with pre-existing conditions. Without the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and protections on pre-existing conditions, many families like Chism’s are at constant risk of losing their health care under the continued Republican-led sabotage of the ACA.
Rep. Barr has long promised to repeal the ACA and voted to do so. As part of the Republican tax bill, he also voted to repeal the individual mandate, which will likely cause premiums to be as much as $1,013 higher than they otherwise would be for Kentuckians. According to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, nearly 251,800 Kentuckians will lose health care and pre-existing conditions protections if the ACA is repealed in the future.
For more information on this topic or to talk to an expert, please contact Jesse Lee at [email protected] or 202.741.6350.
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The Center for American Progress Action Fund is the sister advocacy organization of the Center for American Progress. The Action Fund transforms progressive ideas into policy through rapid response communications, legislative action, grassroots organizing and advocacy, and partnerships with other progressive leaders throughout the country and the world. The Action Fund is also the home of the Progress Report.