Daniel Jimenez lost his father to cancer several years ago. His father, who was employed, didn’t have health insurance and Jimenez is sure that if he did he’d be alive today.
Jimenez launched a change.org petition that’s getting quite a lot of attention. Writing in the petition, he noted that politicians have a hard time relating to the burden of healthcare costs saddled onto families “because they’ve historically received health benefits that most Americans have not.”
“Like millions of people who are panicking about possible changes to their health insurance, I’m concerned the people elected to represent us won’t have to live with the consequences or expenses that the rest of us may have to face soon,” Jimenez wrote. “I want lawmakers to commit to treating themselves just like those who will be impacted by ACA repeal or replacement.”
“A lot of Members of Congress promote choice as an American value, which is all the more reason for them to have to continue to choose their own health coverage from the free marketplace. If private health care is good for the American citizen, it should also be good for the people that defend it,” he continued.
“If Congress is willing to drastically cut healthcare subsidies for most people, are they willing to have the same rules apply to them and their families?”
From Oregon Live:
Currently, members of Congress and their staff are required by the Affordable Care Act to “obtain coverage by health plans created under the Affordable Care Act or coverage offered via an Affordable Insurance Exchange.”
Under the Republican’s new plan, introduced last week, it’s possible that Congress will go back to pre-ACA days when they had “the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program,” what The New York Times called, “a supermarket offering 300 private health plans” that was known as cheap, good and inclusive.
Speaking to Oregon Live, Jimenez said that he was blown away by the response to his petition, which has received well over 300,000 signatures as of this writing.
“There are also some really sad and scary comments about people needing health insurance because of pre-existing conditions and are fearing for their lives if they lose their health care plan,” he said. “An interesting fact is that people from both side of the political spectrum seem to agree with me about Congress not receiving any special treatment that regular people do not have.”
Oregon Live noted that if the petition reaches 500,000 signatures, it will be delivered to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Sen. Bernie Sanders and President Trump.
Featured image via change.org. To follow Sky Palma on Facebook, click here.
