Press release from Piedmont Rising:
In response to recent attacks on North Carolinians’ health care, local advocates gathered in Asheville to share health care stories, discuss how repealing health care could impact North Carolinians, and issue a call to action in the fight to defend crucial protections enshrined in the Affordable Care Act.
The Asheville Health Care Town Hall kicked off a series of town hall meetings that Piedmont Rising, a North Carolina non-profit advocating for lower health care costs, will hold across the state in the coming months.
More than 54,000 western North Carolinians could lose access to health care if the Affordable Care Act were repealed.
State Representative Susan Fisher shared a health policy update on the state level as she works to ensure that every North Carolinian has access to quality, affordable care.
“We know that people are doing without health care. We know that there are people going to the emergency rooms for their health care. We know that hospitals have been closing, especially in rural areas,” said Rep. Susan Fisher. “One the biggest things that we’ve discovered that could really address that — and people in 37 other states have already discovered — is the expansion of Medicaid.”
Asheville residents shared personal health care stories of how they and their families have struggled to afford life-saving medical care and prescription drugs.
Asheville resident, Leslie Boyd, held her son’s picture as she shared her story with attendees, “Before the Affordable Care Act my son, Mike, was denied medical insurance because a birth defect was considered a pre-existing condition.”
Boyd added, “We should be at war on this issue. People don’t deserve to die. My son didn’t deserve to die. It’s incomprehensible and it should be for our policymakers too.”
In total, over 4 million North Carolinians have a pre-existing condition.
“North Carolinians are struggling to afford the price of the medicine they need, on top of every day expenses like rent, child care, and groceries,” said Piedmont Rising Executive Director Casey Wilkinson. “Stories like Leslie’s reinforce that nobody should ever have to decide between keeping their lights on and losing their life. We’re fighting for Leslie’s family and for every North Carolinian with a story like hers, because everyone deserves to get care they need.”
You can view WLOS 13 Asheville’s coverage of the event here.
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