I am writing to announce that Attorney General Pam Bondi must dissociate the state of Florida from the latest attempt to strike down protections for pre-existing health conditions for Fort Myers residents under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
In February 2018, Texas and 19 other Republican-led states filed a lawsuit against the federal government to strike down one of the most important and crucial parts of the law: protecting people with pre-existing conditions.
Many could lose their ability to buy health care coverage. The conditions affecting our community that would cause individuals to lose their health insurance include those with history of drug use, mental health illness, and many more medical illnesses.
Before ACA passed, insurers commonly refused coverage for those with history of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, HIV or other less serious medical problems. Throwing out the individual mandate penalty should not result in striking important consumer protections that help guarantee coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Removing these protections, will cause rates to go even higher for older and sicker patients, which is totally preposterous.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Florida is one of the states with the most people with pre-existing medical conditions, with about 3,116,000 people in Florida with pre-existing health issues. And Florida has the highest percentage of the population that's enrolled in ACA.
The only way to protect our community is to elect Democrats this November, because they will fight and protect ACA. We will protect the well-being of our communities by defending affordable access to healthcare. We need to vote out the Republicans who are trying to dismantle it. As a physician, I will do everything I can to protect the ACA once elected, and I will make sure that everyone in our community who has history of pre-existing medical illness will continue having health insurance.
I call on my Republican competitor for State House District 78 to disavow Bondi and her destructive Republican cohorts on this crucial issue. ACA protections are a lifeline for many patients and individuals.
I challenge my Republican opponent to state clearly if she disavows Pam Bondi's assault on the Affordable Care Act and if she agrees and supports that insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions should be protected.
Dr. Parisima Taeb is Democratic candidate for Florida House District 78.