People share their ‘pre-existing health condition’ stories on social media after House passes health care bill
Twitter users concerned about the bill passed the House to repeal and replace Obamacare are sharing their personal health stories on Twitter under the hashtag #IamaPreexistingCondition.
The hashtag started to trend hours after Republicans in the House narrowly pushed through the American Health Care Act, which would drastically remake health care in the U. S.
By midday Friday ET, it had trended worldwide with about 146,000 tweets so far.
This is Christopher, age 13. Needs a liver transplant. No fault of his own. Why doesn’t his life matter? #IAmAPreexistingCondition pic.twitter.com/9CRLOuEpZu
Some celebrities joined in.
My name is Alyssa Milano. I have anxiety disorder, 2 pregnancies, 2 c-sections and cystic acne. #IAmAPreexistingCondition pic.twitter.com/ywsmOSzxMD
The posts are drawing attention to the wide range of people who could potentially face sharply higher insurance premiums if the AHCA, also dubbed Trumpcare, is passed by the Senate and signed by President Trump .
Under the House bill, insurers could not deny coverage to people with pre-existing health conditions. However, the bill would give states the option of seeking waivers to allow insurance companies to charge higher premiums to people who are sick or have a pre-existing condition.
To illustrate concerns over the bill, Twitter users shared pictures of themselves or family members naming their medical conditions.
Stage 4 Metastatic Colon Cancer, 42 year old mother and registered nurse. $142k insurance premiums?! #IAmAPreexistingCondition pic.twitter.com/zAaedly1jb
This pic is from surgery # 12. l’ll be having surgery # 14 in two weeks. I have NF2. I will die w/ out coverage. #IAmAPreexistingCondition pic.twitter.com/yuyOq68ive
ABC News’ Caterina Andreano contributed to this story.
