News
Thank You Letter from ACS CAN Volunteers to Speaker Ryan Published in Janesville Gazette
Volunteers David and Kari Reilly, of Edgerton, Wisc. shared with ASC CAN the following letter, which they submitted to the Janesville Gazette:
"Last week, we had an opportunity to meet with a man whose time is in short supply: Speaker Paul Ryan. We attended a meeting with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, to talk about the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
"The story of our family changed abruptly when David was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma 20 years ago on his 29th birthday. After months of chemotherapy and radiation, he was cancer free. But the treatments that saved his life also severely damaged his heart. Two and a half years ago, he was put on the waiting list for a heart transplant and had a left ventricle assist device (LVAD) implanted to do the work for his heart.
"We can’t afford for David to be considered a pre-existing condition or worry about lifetime or annual caps, and it’s absolutely critical that we not face any gaps in coverage. Our family has had enough to worry about as we wait for a donor heart, please don’t add insurance coverage and the financial burden that comes with that to our already full plate. There simply cannot be a repeal of the important protections contained in the ACA without an immediate replacement that is as good or better.
"Thank you, Speaker Ryan, for your leadership in getting 21st Century Cures passed to fund more medical research. The next step is to make sure we will all be able to access those breakthroughs. Please support legislation that will keep us covered."