Note: We’ve been overwhelmed by the number of Nebraskans who wanted to tell us how the health insurance protections of the Affordable Care Act have improved their lives. This is one of those stories.
Melanie’s Story
I am 22 and a recent college graduate of Creighton University. I like to consider myself a lifelong Nebraskan, though I was born in Omaha, raised in Council Bluffs, and now live in Omaha.
I work in advertising and part time at a store here in town. Being able to remain on my parents’ insurance until I am 26 is huge for me. Not having to pay out of pocket for my own insurance coverage saves me 15 percent of my total salary.
As a woman, there is less discrimination against me and raising my insurance rates simply because I am a woman. My insurance also covers my birth control – which is really terrific as a woman who doesn’t make enough money to support a child right now and would rather not have kids at this stage of my life.
Additionally, I have depression and anxiety and go to therapy, am on multiple medications that sometimes change in terms of dosage, etc., and depending on my health, may at some point require an in-patient program.
Under the ACA, all of this has become much more affordable to me. I no longer have to worry about skipping therapy appointments because I can’t afford them, or not getting prescriptions filled because they will be too expensive – and my insurance does not cost extra because in the past, my mental illnesses would be considered a “pre-existing condition.”
The ACA has changed my life and so many other people’s lives for the better, and it’s terrifying to think about what healthcare in America could be like if or when it is repealed.
Melanie K.
Omaha
Take Action!
Call the local offices of Nebraska’s U.S. Senators today and tell them any ACA replacement plan must allow every Nebraskan to have health insurance.
Sen. Deb Fischer (402) 441-4600 Sen. Ben Sasse (402) 476-1400
When you’re done, call your U.S. Representative and tell them they must not vote for the House bill that will cause premiums to skyrocket for thousands of Nebraskans. Tell them how the ACA protections have helped you or someone you know.