VIDEO: #IAmAPreexistingCondition

As U.S. Senators prepare to vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the replacement to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), people with pre-existing conditions across the country are calling on them to listen: Healthcare is a human right. No human should be denied access to the medical supports, services, or resources they need because of a pre-existing condition. #IAmAPreexistingCondition #WeArePreexistingConditions

On May 4, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA).  

The bill is now on its way to the U.S. Senate, and if passed, will be signed into law.  Such an outcome is deeply concerning for the disability community, as the AHCA would significantly limit access to affordable healthcare coverage for millions of Americans.  Its provisions would allow devastating cuts to Medicaid, which is a lifeline for many members of our community, and it would increase premiums and diminish protections for individuals who have pre-existing conditions.

So, we’re fighting back. For our #IAmAPreexistingCondition video campaign, disabled people from across the nation shared stories of how their lives would be affected if their Senators voted “yes” on the AHCA.  Now is the time to demand that our legislators protect the lives of millions of Americans with preexisting conditions, because healthcare is a HUMAN RIGHT.

Thank you to all who submitted videos  for the #IAmAPreexistingCondition campaign. We had so many submissions that we couldn’t fit them all into this video, but keep them coming – the #IAmAPreexistingCondition campaign isn’t going away anytime soon. We want to make sure our legislators hear us. Keep the fight going by uploading your #IAmAPreexistingCondition videos to YouTube and send us the link for consideration to be included in our playlist.

Click here for the video submission form.

We’d like to recognize the following people who are featured in the video:

AZ Chapman, California
Lili Siegel, California
Ingrid Tischer, California
Alex Conall, Delaware
Lindsay Baran, District of Columbia
Kate Caldwell, Illinois
Timotheus Gordon, Jr., Illinois
Carrissa Johnson, Kentucky
Jennifer Johnson, Kentucky
Cara Liebowitz, Maryland
Kit Mead, Maryland
Eiryn Griest Schwartzman, Maryland
Rachel Handler, New Jersey
Rachel Bass, New York
Kathleen Downes, New York
Andrew Pulrang, New York
Jason Ross, New York
Amanda Clark, Pennsylvania
Emily Wolinsky, Texas
Jessie Butterfield, Vermont
Ron Hemenway, Vermont

Special thank you to the National Council on Independent Living for partnering with us on this important campaign.

And thank you to the following supporters of the campaign:

Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Autism Women’s Network
Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition
American Association of Health and Disability
Placer Independent Resource Services
Kids Included Together

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