Letter to the Editor: Why I demonstrate in support of the Affordable Care Act

Feb 14, 2017

Dear Editor:

I attended the demonstration in support of the Affordable Care Act this morning at Representative Walberg’s office and was pleased to see a handful of Manchester residents there as well.

This is the 3rd time in less than a month that I’ve picked up a sign and joined a demonstration. It’s new for me, this marching with my heart on my sleeve. I’ve never demonstrated before, never been interviewed by a news station, never spoken to my Manchester neighbors about healthcare or my fears should we lose it. But it’s time to push that particular comfort zone.

Like millions of other families across America, we have a son with type 1 diabetes. The insulin that used to be $30/vial several years ago is now $300/vial, and we need four of them monthly. That cost doesn’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat, have insurance or scramble to pay out of pocket. Without insulin, a person will die.

There are at least two things broken here: the skyrocketing cost of drugs and the healthcare system itself. I would like to see the Affordable Care Act stay in place and be modified to address its current shortcomings. I’m very concerned – for my neighbors and for my own family – that should the ACA be repealed, we will be left without a safety net of any kind.

Whatever side one took in past elections, concern for family, friends, and neighbors crosses all political boundaries. Today it is my son, tomorrow it could be another’s loved one.

Thank you,
Laura Billetdeaux, Manchester Township

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.