Congresswoman helping protect our health

I am a breast cancer survivor of two and a half years. Last month was the two-year anniversary of the failed Senate vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. At the time, I had just completed my radiation treatments, and I can recall the tremendous fear, and then the sudden comfort, when at the last moment Sen. McCain voted "No" to repealing the Affordable Care Act.

I, like 300,000 other Illinoisans, will now live with a preexisting condition for life. The Affordable Care Act makes sure everyone can get insurance at the same cost as those without preexisting conditions. No insurance company would ever insure any of us if it did not have to.

Through her energetic health initiatives, our newly elected congresswoman of the 14th District, Lauren Underwood, also a registered nurse, is keeping her promise to protect folks like me.

Lauren introduced H.R. 1868, the Health Care Affordability Act, which patches up holes in the Affordable Care Act so 20 million people would see health care cost reductions for those of us earning less than $100,000 a year. She co-sponsored H.R. 1010, which protects people with preexisting conditions by overturning a Trump Administration rule that expanded junk health-care plans. She co-sponsored H.R. 2372, which ensures that the VA and outside providers offer veterans high-quality mental health and suicide prevention services.

She co-sponsored an amendment that requires stronger child abuse prevention measures. She co-sponsored an amendment that bars the Trump Administration from using tax dollars to challenge the ACA in court. She introduced legislation to help state and local governments prepare for the consequences of climate change.

To date, none of these important bills have been heard in the Senate. Please call or send a postcard to Mitch McConnell to have the bills read and voted upon in the Senate.

Susan Rosner

Marengo