Al Franken: “This article cites his votes against mental health parity--think about what that means in terms of treatment during this…”

“This article cites his votes against mental health parity--think about what that means in terms of treatment during this opioid crisis--against funding for AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, against the expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, against tobacco regulation, against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, and more. Price has also been a champion of efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that if the ACA is repealed, nearly 20 million Americans will lose their health care coverage immediately, with the number growing to 32 million over the next 10 years, and 300,000 of those individuals live in my State of Minnesota. Let me tell you about at least two of them. Leanna has a 3-year-old son named Henry. Henry has been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and his treatment will last at least until April of 2018. Henry often needs around-the-clock care to manage his nausea, vomiting, pain, and sleepless nights. This is a 3-year-old boy. Henry's immune system is so compromised that he is not supposed to go to daycare. So Leanna left her job to take care of him. Leanna's family is supported by her spouse, but they couldn't pay for Henry's treatment on one salary. Leanna says: It is because of the ACA that Henry gets proper health care. Henry can get therapy and the things he needs to maintain his health and work toward beating cancer. Henry is still with us because of the ACA.…”