The 120th Trimester

I voted today. There is a special election to decide my state Senate seat. To say the voting process was easy would be an understatement. There was literally no one there. The parking lot was completely empty. I thought I was in the wrong place until I saw a sign that said, No You’re in the Right Place. It was 7:30am when I got there, and I was only the fifth person to vote. I voted for Democrat Tina Belge. She is awesome. I got to spend an afternoon with her campaign manager last month. Tina is every thing I want a politician to be: smart, energetic, inspired by Leslie Knope.

It felt especially important to vote this morning, because once again, people like me are under attack. Last night I decided to torture myself before bed, so I looked at the news. There, beside a picture of Trump gloating, was an article about the Justice Department deciding that they agreed with the Texas judge who recently ruled the Affordable Care Act illegal. Including the protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Because nothing says justice like making sure sick people can’t get health care.

I do not understand the rabid obsession Republicans have with over turning this law. It’s not like they have a better option- no matter what comes out of Lindsey Graham’s fever dreams.

What is their idea? I mean it used be exactly what the Affordable Care Act is, i.e a health insurance mandate, but then President Obama suggested it and heaven forbid they agree with anything he says. So what is it now? The free market? Here’s an suggestion- have a heart attack, and in the middle of it, try and shop around.

Health Care savings accounts? So a person can afford to get sick in 120 years?

“Hey- what are you saving up for?”

“ So my appendix can finally burst!”

Why do they hate this law so much? Did a person with diabetes make fun of them when they were children? Were they harassed by a group with Cystic Fibrosis? Let me tell you- they weren’t laughing at you- they were fucking coughing!

And hasn’t this issue been decided? It was voted on. The Supreme Court upheld it. They tried to repeal it, but that lost to!

But no. They won’t rest until they can go back to their voters and say, “Lookie what we did! We made sure your child with melanoma won’t be able to find insurance! Aren’t you proud! And we restored life time payment caps! That’s right! We made sure those precious insurance companies don’t have to fully pay for your baby to fight their congenital heart disease!”

So maybe we need to change our branding. Don’t think of it as the Affordable Care Act, think of it as being Pro-Life but for people who are already born. Think of me, a person with a pre-existing condition, as being a six foot tall baby in the womb of life. Or perhaps consider me to be in my 120th trimester. I don’t care! Just please, please, please, leave us alone.

And if you live in SC’s Six Congressional District, go vote for Tina!