Group asks Tiberi for town hall meeting before voting on health care measure

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Constituents from Ohio’s 12th Congressional District delivered a petition to Congressman Pat Tiberi’s Worthington office Thursday afternoon demanding that he hold a town hall meeting to discuss his efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The petition includes 1,080 signatures, according to a news release issued by organizers of the petition. The petition effort was spearheaded by John Russell, owner of Fall Creek Farm in Galena.

It was delivered to Tiberi’s staff.

“The Affordable Care Act played a key role in helping me start my small business,” Russell said. “I was able to keep my coverage under my parents’ plan until I turned 26. Over three years, I saved about $8,000, which I was able to invest in the business.”

For some who signed the petition, the ACA has been a vital source for health insurance coverage.

“As a Type 1 diabetic, I have no other choice for health insurance,” said Delaware County resident Mindy Hedges.

“There are more than 700,000 other diabetics living in Ohio and many of us have been turned down by insurance companies because of this pre-existing condition. Without the ACA, I would not be able to afford the $700 per month of prescription drugs I need or the additional costs for doctors’ visits and bloodwork. We need Representative Tiberi and Senator (Rob) Portman to help us, even if it means crossing party lines to do so,” Hedges said.

For Julie Houston, of Delaware, the ACA provides critical ongoing support.

“I had aggressive breast cancer last year that spread to my lymph system. I might have died if not for the ACA,” Houston said. “I continue to rely on the ACA to help cover the costs of life-saving medication and check-ups. I need physical and occupational therapy to manage the damage done by surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

“I’ll need to continue that therapy for at least five years. Without that ongoing treatment, there’s no doubt I would have a poorer quality of life and a higher risk of recurrence. My life depends on the affordable healthcare that the ACA provides.”

Constituents have asked that Tiberi’s office provide “a yes or no answer by Monday, Jan. 30 at 10 a.m., to their request for a town hall.”

Repealing the ACA before a new bill is ready could result in nearly one million Ohioans losing their health coverage, according to an Urban Institute study. Link: http://www.urban.org/research/publication/implications-partial-repeal-aca-through-reconciliation.

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Staff report

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