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On Thursday afternoon, over forty people gathered outside Ted Cruz’s office to share their stories and rally against the repeal of the ACA and the proposed Senate health bill that would decimate coverage for many of the most vulnerable Americans. -
An organizer for resistance group Indivisible Austin, Andrew Matthews leads the crowd in coordinating those who want to meet with Cruz’s staff one-on-one to discuss their opposition to the bill and urge that the Senator consider options that don’t leave Texans in the lurch when it comes to their health. -
Allowed into the building in groups of five, the remaining citizens waiting to speak to Cruz shared their healthcare stories and concerns with the group. -
Republican leadership is trying to rush the health bill to a vote before the July 4 recess, giving them barely a week to debate the specifics after analysis from the Congressional Budget Office report expected today. Four Republican senators, including Ted Cruz, oppose the bill because it doesn’t go far enough to repeal the ACA, while Sen. Heller of Nevada has promised to vote no in opposition to the medicaid cuts. Republicans can only afford to lose two votes and still pass the bill. -
“I’m fighting the repeal of the ACA because my father has a preexisting condition and he’s hoping to retire in the next few years. I don’t believe plans should be changed because of a bill that would remove protections for people with preexisting conditions in order to pay for a tax cut for the wealthy. I’m also here because I firmly believe that a woman’s choice about her health should be between her and her healthcare provider and no one else.” – Samantha -
“Many of my family and friends, sadly, suffer from mental illness and addiction. I’m standing out here for so many people out there who can’t or won’t stick up for themselves. They’re getting care or they need care, and if we let them all fall between the cracks and into the gutter… I can’t let that happen, so I stand here for them.” – Lucy Sanchez -
“I’m a member of a union that takes care of me, but a lot of people are not that fortunate and I’m scared for them. I have family members with preexisting conditions and by every accounting this bill, if it passes, is going to take coverage away from people who are vulnerable and will give the monetary benefits to people that are already really well off. And for someone who identifies as a Christian like Senator Cruz that is literally the opposite of Christianity. I don’t like to throw around “literally” but they’re doing it the wrong way. It’s baffling, and I hope it doesn’t pass.” – Macon Blair -
“I just realized this summer that I haven’t had a depressive episode in a year, which is really amazing for me. I have a really strong support system with my therapist and psychiatrist, and I’m currently able to see them as much as I need. It’s terrifying to think that I could stop receiving that care, or might get put in a high-risk pool or hit a lifetime cap.” – Leah Markov-Lindsey “As even our President said, this is a matter of human decency. And even if you’re not directly touched, this is about what we want for our community, what we want for our country, and how to help each other lead our best lives.” – Maureen Mercado -
“These are the very people that are supposed to represent us, and they’re not representing us, they’re not caring about what we care about. They just care about the money and political theatre of it. So I come down here, and I make my calls and stand in the heat and do my part. I keep thinking of that Kate McKinnon bit as Hillary on SNL where she sings “Hallelujah” and turns to the camera and says ‘I’m not going to give up and neither should you.'” – Sara Higginbotham -
Making a quick stop at a coffee shop on the way to protest, a woman gathered letters from other customers who wanted to add in their voices after hearing she was taking her concerns to Cruz. -
“I remember from before the ACA how difficult it was to get individual insurance. When I turned 24 and was kicked off my parent’s plan, I got rejected from multiple healthcare companies because I had lost 50 pounds of weight under a doctor’s supervision and also had childhood asthma. It was really arbitrary what they could deny you coverage for, and it took me forever to find a plan that would actually cover me. I priced out plans that covered preexisting conditions, and a plan would have been 800 bucks a month. I was a 24-year-old with asthma. I only went to the doctor’s once a year for a check-up. We’re worried that if this new law passes we won’t be able to buy individual insurance, that it will again be astronomically expensive and out of reach to so many people, especially if they can deny you for things as common as asthma.” – Julie Gilberg “I work in the video game industry, and an awful lot of people in Austin work in video games and film, which means an awful lot of us are freelancers. You can make a good living off of it, but you’re on your own for health insurance. It’s been possible because of the ACA, but if the ACA goes away, a lot of people in the industry would have to leave Austin or find new jobs because they can’t buy individual plans. It’s an international industry. The freelance game industry in Austin is bidding against the industries in Europe and around the world. Most of them don’t have to pay for individual health insurance, which puts us at a disadvantage.” – Ryan Clark -
“I’m starting medical school on Monday at Dell Medical School, and I’m a supporter of the ACA because I think it will allow me to treat my patients better, it will allow patients to not worry about coming in to see a doctor because of a fear of medical expenses, and it will allow more people to get good medical care without becoming impoverished and fighting bankruptcy. I’m about to spend a lot of time studying medicine and learning how to treat people, and I don’t want my patients to have more obstacles to obtaining the care they need, especially monetary ones. Given how many resources are available in America, its unconscionable that people in our society dont get health care because they lack the money.” – Katie McNiel -
“We are all people and we need to take care of each other. Senator Cruz took an oath to protect the people of Texas, whether he agrees with us or not. He’s said he’s not going to vote for this because he wants it to go even farther, and that’s upsetting because it’s not going to help the economy, it’s not going to help women, it’s not going to help children. I came out here having never done this before and seeing all the people and hearing all the stories has really gotten me thinking more. My brother has Type 1 diabetes and prior to the ACA he was covered on my parent’s insurance but I don’t know what’s going to happen to him.” – Kelsey Peterson -
“I was fired in 2015 when I was 5 weeks pregnant. Thank goodness we had the Affordable Care Act, because I could not be discriminated against under any preexisting condition limitations. I knew my maternity care would be covered. I logged onto the exchange, compared plans, signed up for what I wanted and got fantastic coverage. I’m just so grateful that happened for me. Being able to get care when you’re fired and have preexisting conditions shouldn’t depend on timing.” -Page Nilson
Health Care Protest at Ted Cruz’s Office
