ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

An Emotional Video Shows The Devastating Affect The AHCA Would Have On One Family

Since President Trump's election, many of us have taken action to make our voices heard about policies that will, without a doubt, negatively affect the quality of healthcare (especially for women). We march, we show up in town hall meetings, and we call our representatives.
But when one mom took an extra step to actually go to her representative's office after learning that he had voted in favor of the American Health Care Act, she was told that she couldn't be there, and was escorted out of the building by security.
Julie Marie Forbes Anderson streamed her story on Facebook Live, starting from the moment the security guard shut the doors.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"Apparently I can't be in McHenry's office and voice my opinion," Anderson says in the video. "We went in because last night, McHenry voted to get rid of health care for my child. So, what that means is, if Loretta is sick we can pay $12,000 a month out of pocket for her medication, not including any of her hospital visits, or her co-pays, or her deductibles. That's just the medication."
Anderson took a picture of her daughter, Loretta, with her to the senator's office to explain why she thinks the American Health Care Act "is some bullshit" and that her daughter is "the kid who he had voted to let die last night."
The office staff told her that she wasn't allowed to raise her voice in the building, though Anderson claims in the video that she was speaking at a perfectly normal volume. When the staff threatened to call the police, Anderson suggested instead that they call her elected official. She requested for the staff to make an appointment with her official in his D.C. office, which Anderson says she'd be happy to drive to, but the staff instead threatened to call the sheriff's office again.
The sheriff reportedly told Anderson that she had to leave the county's administration building and that she was "no longer allowed to be in the building upon threat of arrest" because she was rude. "Apparently, being rude to a police officer is an arrestable offense in Gaston county now," Anderson says.
At this point, Anderson says the sheriff said to her that they would “take her baby, that baby will never be seen again, it will go to foster care and you will go to jail.”
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
This whole mess won't get this mom down, though, Anderson says in the video that she is about to go to Senator Richard Burr's office "because making my child uninsurable for something that's not her fault is not okay," she says. "If Loretta doesn't have her medication, she will die. And I'm not okay with that. I'm not losing another baby. It's not happening."
Anderson tears up at this point, and we're crying right along with her. Her video vividly illustrates the complaints many people have about the American Health Care Act, which would likely cause millions to lose their health insurance. The act passed in the House of Representative last Thursday, the night before Anderson made her trip to her representative's office. Now, the AHCA is moving on to the Senate.
Read these stories next:

More from Trends

R29 Original Series

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT