The Specter of the AHCA

Since I was diagnosed with Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumors in 2014 I have endured more rounds of chemotherapy than I can count, multiple stints of radiation treatment, over a dozen surgical procedures, and even an experimental clinical trial. Yet none of that filled me with as much dread or despair as the American Health Care Act that passed the House of Representatives last week.

Previously I have only needed to focus on dealing with whatever phase of treatment I was in, whether it was the constant battle to eat enough during chemotherapy, the physical struggles of recovering from major surgeries, or even finding that difficult balance between fighting to stay alive and taking time to really live. Now overshadowing all of that is the specter that soon my health issues might make it impossible for me to receive the healthcare my life depends upon.

Thanks to the random glitch that caused my extremely rare cancer I now have multiple pre-existing health conditions. These already add enough difficulty to my life without the added threat of making the care I need financially unattainable. The malevolent disregard for those of us with pre-existing conditions embodied in the American Health Care Act is an insult to those of us who simply are not profitable to insure and most need healthcare to have a fighting chance at just staying alive.

Last Thursday as I lay in a hospital bed following a procedure to deal with ongoing complications from my most recent surgery I was not worried about the fresh hole punched through my belly or why my abdomen continues to fill with fluid. Instead I watched on TV as group of smug-looking lawmakers celebrated prematurely that my health issues could soon leave me without affordable coverage options. And that was a worse feeling than any I’ve experienced in my two-and-a-half years of intense, ongoing cancer treatment.