To those Christians who support the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA):
Perhaps you have never been denied health insurance for a pre-existing medical condition, and you think you don’t know anyone who has, which is why you support the repeal of the ACA, including coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Well, guess what? If you know me—as your daughter, sister, cousin, niece, or friend—then you know someone who was born with a pre-existing condition. I have a rare genetic disease called X-linked Hypophosphatemia (XLH). Around 15,000 people in the United States have this disease. Since it’s genetic, it is passed down by a parent or it can also occur spontaneously. I’m a spontaneous case. Either way, I suppose you can blame my parents because, after all, they created me.
I’ve been denied health insurance for my genetic disease. Even when doctors knew very little about XLH (called Vitamin-D Resistant Rickets back then), the insurance companies thought I’d be a liability. My first job after college, in 1982, was with a small company with less than ten employees and they offered health insurance to full-time employees. The Republican owner was determined to find a health insurance plan that would include me, since the first few insurance companies he tried refused to put me on the policy. When he found a company that would cover me except for any care pertaining to my pre-existing condition, I was thrilled, because I was at the mercy of the Insurance Industry, and willing to… [Read more…] about I Am a Pre-Existing Condition