HERE THERE BE MONSTERS

Below is a partial list of the Republican Obamacare replacement bill’s designated pre-existing conditions, as posted on Twitter by Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown.  The cost of your health insurance will go up – perhaps by thousands of dollars each year – if you have any of these conditions.  I have, or have had, 8 of them.  Raising rates for pre-existing conditions is far from the only thing wrong with this bill, but the list is a graphic illustration of the magnitude of the Republican assault on American health. 

As I write this, it appears that Republicans in the House have enough votes to pass the bill, despite the fact that they haven’t read it and haven’t seen the Congressional Budget Office’s impact assessment (since the CBO, like everyone else, hasn’t seen a copy of the bill).   

Anyone who votes for this bill is a monster.  There’s no reasoning with them, no possibility of accomodation or compromise.  The only thing to do is throw them out of office.  Please, let’s hold them accountable in 2018.

Here is Senator Brown’s list:  anorexia, anxiety, arrhythmia, arthritis, asthma, atrial fibrillation, autism, bariatric surgery, basal cell carcinoma, bipolar disorder, blood clot, breast cancer, bulimia, bypass surgery, celiac disease, cerebral aneurysm, cerebral embolism, cerebral palsy, cerebral thrombosis, cervical cancer, colon cancer, colon polyps, congestive heart failure, COPD, Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, DMD, depression, diabetes, disabilities, Down syndrome, eating disorder, enlarged prostate, epilepsy, glaucoma, gout, heart disease, heart murmur, heartburn, hemophilia, hepatitis C, herpes, high cholesterol, hypertension, hysterectomy, kidney disease, kidney stones, kidney transplant, leukemia, lung cancer, lupus, lymphoma, mental health issues, migraines, MS, muscular dystrophy, narcolepsy, nasal polyps, obesity, OCD, organ transplant, osteoporosis, pacemaker, panic disorder, paralysis, paraplegia, Parkinson's disease, pregnancy, restless leg syndrome, schizophrenia, seasonal affective disorder, seizures, sickle cell disease, skin cancer, sleep apnea, sleep disorders, stent, stroke, thyroid issues, tooth disease, tuberculosis, and ulcers.