Eight female activists from Jacksonville are calling on state and federal officials to keep the Affordable Care Act intact. That’s as Republicans in Washington are talking about repealing and replacing the health care law.
The For Our Future PAC is funded by progressive billionaire Tom Steyer and a coalition of labor unions. It brought together women Friday to tell stories of losing loved ones who didn't have insurance or being saved after signing up for coverage under Obamacare.
One speaker was former Democratic congressional candidate LaShonda “LJ” Holloway.
“I am standing here today as a woman who 10 years ago was diagnosed with a devastating diagnosis that required injections that cost $2,000 a month. Those injections were not covered by insurance,” she said.
Holloway would not reveal her original condition, but she did say she was later diagnosed with a brain tumor, and she survived because she found affordable insurance on healthcare.gov.
Holloway is also the founder of a small nonprofit called All About Health Care Advocates. One of its main services is helping people navigate health insurance exchanges.
The Republican majority in the Florida statehouse and a new, sweeping majority in D.C., is backing President Donald Trump’s promise to repeal and replace the health law.
Reporter Ryan Benk can be reached at rbenk@wjct.org, at (904) 358 6319 or on Twitter @RyanMichaelBenk.
