Activists in D.C. Defend Affordable, Accessible Health Care: #SavetheACA

Lauryn Gutierrez
On Thursday, February 23, members of the the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), Committee of Interns and Residents, Student National Medical Association, Latino Medical Student Association, and supporters gathered at Upper Senate Park as part of an advocacy day to ensure their future patients have adequate health-care coverage. A representative, speaking to the gathered crowd, said, "AMSA will continue to put our patients ahead of politics." Lauryn Gutierrez/Rewire
Speakers at the medical student rally shared their opposition to the repeal of the ACA, saying that they take their oaths to "do no harm" seriously. They expect policy makers and politicians to have the same mindset and understand their accountability for their decisions regarding the ACA—decisions often with life-or-death consequences.
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On Saturday, February 25, supporters of the ACA gathered outside the White House to show their opposition to its repeal. Many people shared emotional testimonies of how the ACA's existence literally saved their lives. Lauryn Gutierrez/Rewire
Rachel Marchand of Arkansas is a two-time childhood cancer survivor. Before the ACA disallowed insurance companies from classifying it as such, cancer was termed a "pre-existing" condition—one that would often bar people from purchasing insurance at all.

Without the ACA in place to mandate her access to insurance, Marchand said, she will be left as a 21-year-old cancer survivor technically barred from the health insurance exchange, potentially for the rest of her life.
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As someone with a family history of reproductive health issues, Alex (not pictured—photo and last name withheld to protect privacy) told the crowd at the rally February 25 that she had not wanted to delay a Pap test a few years ago, even though she was just starting a new job and wasn’t yet eligible for their insurance plan. Fortunately, she did not delay her well-woman exam: as a result of that Pap test, her doctors found a cancerous growth in her uterus that needed immediate treatment.

"I don't know what would have happened if Planned Parenthood wasn't available to me in that moment. In all likelihood, I would have delayed the exam until I was insured," Alex told Rewire. Lauryn Gutierrez/Rewire
When Alex lost her job a year and a half later, she relied on the ACA to access the continued cancer treatments she needed. “There is no question that I would have been uninsurable without the ACA at this point: I had already had three surgeries, radiation and ongoing hormone treatment all in one year,” Alex told Rewire. “I bought insurance through the ACA exchange and it helped me cover four more surgeries, another round of radiation and a lot more hormones over the course of the next few years. Even with insurance, I racked up a $45,000 bill which has not been easy to pay off.” Lauryn Gutierrez/Rewire
“Inability to pay should not preclude any person from access to quality health care and it is terrifying that as a country we need to debate this principle,” continued Alex. “I wish opponents of the ACA understood that we are not even asking for completely free care; we are asking for access to insurance. If the ACA is repealed and the ban against discriminating against pre-existing conditions disappears, I do not know what that will mean for me.” Lauryn Gutierrez/Rewire
Dr. Seiji Hayashi (pictured) is a family physician and former provider at Unity Health Care in Washington, D.C., one of the largest community health centers in the country.

Dr. Hayashi told Rewire he was at the rally “because many of our patients would lose health insurance coverage if the Medicaid expansion would be reversed. The D.C. government doesn't have the resources to cover the difference otherwise.”
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“In addition to insurance coverage, the ACA include[s] provisions to improve the quality of care and to reduce health-care costs,” Dr. Hayashi continued. He listed several direct, life-saving impacts of the ACA quality control measures: “More kids get vaccinated, fewer kids go to the emergency room for asthma, fewer heart attacks and strokes because blood pressure is controlled, and fewer leg amputations or blindness because diabetes is better controlled.” Lauryn Gutierrez/Rewire
"I don't mean to be dramatic, but it's life, death, or bankruptcy for many patients if they lose coverage. At the population level, 20 million people gained coverage and a chance to diagnose disease earlier and to prevent one from occurring in the first place," Dr. Hayashi told Rewire. Lauryn Gutierrez/Rewire
"The ACA is not perfect, but it is certainly better than what we had before," Dr. Hayashi told Rewire. He has worked in the health-care system for the last 20 years, including a role at the Health Resources and Services Administration to help implement portions of the ACA at community health centers. "If the GOP can come up with a system that improves access and quality, and with lower cost, I'm all for it. I just don't think they'll come up with something."
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Almost 300 Planned Parenthood patients, providers, and supporters from across the country convened on the U.S. Capitol lawn for a rally before meetings with more than 170 members of Congress to share their personal stories in the hope of highlighting the devastating consequences that defunding Planned Parenthood would create for their communities.

Their “We Are Planned Parenthood” Capitol Takeover Day on March 1 was especially timely, taking place only days after a leaked draft of the House Republicans’ bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act included a provision to defund the health-care organization. Lauryn Gutierrez/Rewire
“We cannot allow President Trump and Republicans to distract us from the fight ahead. I know that if my Republican colleagues hear your voices at your meetings, at marches, online and in your own communities about what our health-care law and Planned Parenthood means to you, it will make a difference,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) to the patients and providers preparing to meet with members of Congress. Lauryn Gutierrez/Rewire
Courtney Everett of Chicago, Illinois, shared her story about why birth control is a critical medical need. Diagnosed with endometriosis as a teen, she was told her condition greatly affected her ability to bear children. She was devastated. Fortunately, she found treatment through hormonal birth control.

When Everett aged out of her family’s health insurance while in graduate school, she could no longer afford her birth control. As her pain increased month by month, she worried about the damage happening to her body due to her condition. Her friend encouraged her to go to Planned Parenthood, where she received the care she needed. She credits the organization with preserving her ability to have children; she now has two.

“Unfortunately, some of the folks who work in these buildings around us,” Everett said, gesturing to the U.S. Capitol behind her, “don’t seem to know that hormonal birth control is not just used for family planning, but is often used for women like me to manage their conditions.”
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“We Senate Democrats will not let any legislation that cuts back on Planned Parenthood pass, period!” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). "Do you hear that, President Trump? Do you hear that, Speaker Ryan? Do you hear that, Leader McConnell? Don’t try, ‘cause you will fail."

Concluding his remarks, Sen. Schumer cried, "Keep up the fight, everybody!” to the crowd, raising his fist. Lauryn Gutierrez/Rewire
“It shouldn’t be required that women have to tell their personal medical stories in order to protect women’s health, but I’m grateful that they do,” said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “We’re here today on behalf of the 2.5 million patients that depend on Planned Parenthood every single year.”

She encouraged those speaking out in support of the organization to “remind folks of the incredible progress we’ve made over the last eight years. Because of the ACA, 55 million women have birth control at no co-pay in their insurance plans, and we’re not going to give that up without a fight. In large part, because of these benefits ... we are at a 30-year low for unintended pregnancy.” She urged further recognition of these successes, asking leaders to "take politics out of the equation to focus on the health care."

“When politicians like Speaker Ryan threaten to block millions of people from coming to Planned Parenthood for preventive care," Richards continued, “he is threatening to undo decades of progress in this country.” Lauryn Gutierrez/Rewire

In response to the recent calls from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for constituents around the country to outwardly express their support for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), supporters convened in Washington, D.C. over the past week at a number of events aimed at raising the profile of people who have directly benefited from the ACA.

Rewire documented the medical students, politicians, patients, health-care providers, and leaders of Planned Parenthood—an organization continually under attack from anti-choice politicians—who gathered at advocacy events at the White House and on the Hill to signal to President Trump and Congress they aren’t giving up the ACA “without a fight.” A frequent refrain across #SavetheACA events was “access to health care is a right, not a privilege!”