….588,000 Coloradans Will Lose Health Care:
DENVER— State Senator Irene Aguilar, Colorado AFL-CIO Executive Director Sam Gilchrist, small business owners and community members joined the nationwide Save My Care Bus Tour to stand against Republican lawmakers’ efforts to dismantle Connect for Health Colorado and repeal the Affordable Care Act. At a press conference outside the State Capitol organized by Save My Care, Progress Now Colorado, Colorado Health Initiative and Healthier Colorado, community members called on lawmakers to reject State Senate Bill 3, which would scrap the state’s health exchange, and protect Coloradans’ access to health care.
It’s unconscionable that our representatives are considering legislation that will take health care away from hundreds of thousands of Coloradans. Health care is a fundamental right. Our legislators must oppose Senate Bill 3 and stand against any effort to take quality, affordable care away from working families. said Sam Gilchrist, Executive Director of the Colorado AFL-CIO
Coloradans fear the impact..
For small business owners like me, repealing the Affordable Care Act could mean bankruptcy and homelessness,” said Howard Paul, a self-employed commercial photographer, writer and editor. “Without the insurance I obtained under the Affordable Care Act, I may go bankrupt or lose my home and business—or even die. Today, I am terrified of what will happen if Congress votes to take health care away from hundreds of thousands of Coloradans like me.
The ACA (Affordable Care Act) allowed me to enroll in Medicaid, get my health back on track and complete my doctorate degree,” said Dr. Reyna Ulibarri, a doctorate in sociology and Denver area resident. “If I can continue my upward path with the help of Medicaid, I hope to return to work by next year. I don’t know what I will do if the Affordable Care Act is repealed and I lose my access to care. Honestly, I’m terrified.
If the Colorado health exchange is repealed, my history of heart problems and cancer could be considered pre-existing conditions and leave me completely uninsurable, said Ann Cowie-Bozner, a Denver metro area resident. I am 60 years old. I still have a lot to contribute to society and without health insurance, I am not sure that can happen.
In both Denver and Washington, Republican lawmakers are rushing forward with proposals that would strip health care away from hundreds of thousands of Coloradans. At the State Capitol, the Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 3, which would undermine quality of care for everyone and throw the state’s entire health care system into chaos. In Congress, U.S. Senator Cory Gardner and his fellow Republican lawmakers are backing a reckless repeal plan that will take health coverage from 30 million Americans and destroy 39,000 jobs in Colorado.
Save My Care Bus Tour’s two-month, cross-country tour focuses on telling the stories of the more than 30 million Americans who will lose their health care under Congress’ dangerous repeal plan.
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Tell us how changes to Connect for Health Colorado and the Affordable Care Act will impact you
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