Celia Israel: “I rise to oppose this bill. This vote establishes who you are for. Are you for insurance company profits, or are you for…”

“I rise to oppose this bill. This vote establishes who you are for. Are you for insurance company profits, or are you for the middle class? I'm for Hannah Watson of Bay Shore, Long Island. Hannah was born with spina bifida. She had multiple surgeries and a kidney transplant before the age of 12. At 12 years old, 3 months after her last surgery, her insurance company told her that she had reached her annual cap and they would not pay for additional treatment. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Hannah was able to finally get on her parents' insurance at an affordable rate with no lifetime caps. This health care act was for Hannah Watson. Well, I hear people saying, do you know what? I don't have spina bifida. Why should I care? Well, Hannah did not choose to have spina bifida. Nobody makes that choice. The health care act helped Hannah. It helped her neighbors. It helped others. Why would you want to look at Hannah and say, We are repealing those protections, Hannah? I'm for Catherine Marquardt of North Babylon. Catherine had breast cancer; and as she was recovering from breast cancer, her insurance company told her that it was a preexisting condition and they would no longer pay for her treatment.”