Schroeder letter: Labrador, health care
On March 2, I sat in Congressman Raul Labrador’s office on Capitol Hill — clutching photos of my 9-year-old son Brady in hand. Brady was born with a genetic disease called cystic fibrosis — a frightening diagnosis which demands the highest level of specialized care for management. Because Brady’s life depends on access to health care, my husband and I do not enjoy the luxury of turning a deaf ear to policy discussions that will impact access to the care and medications that literally keep our child breathing.
Rep. Labrador promotes the return of high-risk pools as a method of providing for those with pre-existing conditions. Patient groups widely oppose high-risk pools, due to the history of inadequacy to provide for those who need it most. He refused to acknowledge that people like my son — born with a deadly illness — stand to lose the most from his idea to allow insurers to once again discriminate against those with pre-existing conditions. High-risk pools were disastrous before the ACA, and we refuse to go back. Rep. Labrador is shockingly disconnected and dangerous. He didn’t even pretend to care about how his plan would impact the most vulnerable constituents in his district.
Rebecca Schroeder, Coeur d’Alene
This story was originally published April 19, 2017 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Schroeder letter: Labrador, health care."