Cartwright talks health care at Wilkes-Barre event

Jun. 16--WILKES-BARRE -- When Amy Zemek's' daughter Alexa contracted a virus in January, her cerebral palsy turned a routine health issue into a situation that required lots of medical resources.

"Because of her compromised immune system and weakened state, these viruses will put her in the hospital," said Zemek, of Covington Twp. "Between that helicopter ride, her emergency room visits and her hospital stay, the bill totaled close to $180,000. How on Earth would anyone ever be able to pay that bill without insurance? It's like taking out a mortgage for a house for 30 years and having a $1,000 a month payment on your own for 30 years, all for contracting one little virus one time."

Zemek credits the Affordable Care Act with helping keep her daughter alive despite a condition that makes insurance companies reluctant to cover costs.

She shared her family's story during an event organized by U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, on Saturday in Wilkes-Barre.

Cartwright visited the city's Public Square to talk about Democratic efforts to pass health care bills that he said have been stopped in the Senate, specifically House Bill 987, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act.

He mentioned three health care priorities for Democrats: making it easier to get generic drugs to market, outlaw "junk insurance" that does not actually provide good coverage, and protecting pre-existing conditions from increasing premiums.

Of those three priorities, improving access to generic drugs is the initiative that seems to have the most bipartisan support, although it is not widespread, he said.

To wit, a look at the final vote for House Bill 987 shows only five Republicans voted for the bill's passage, while 183 voted against it.

South Abington Twp. resident Marlee Stefanelli also shared her family's story Saturday. A social media post took her back to the day, seven years ago Saturday, when her son, Matthew, was born 7 1/2 weeks premature and spent weeks in an intensive care unit.

She remembers a conversation with someone in the hospital's financial office when she was preparing to take her son home.

"If it wasn't for the ACA, Matthew's lifetime max for medical treatment (under their health insurance plan) would have been met already, and he was only 3 1/2 weeks old," she said.

Cartwright pointed to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader from Kentucky, as the reason why Democratic health care proposals were not getting consideration in the Senate.

The "self-styled Grim Reaper," he said, was keeping the bills from coming up for a vote.

"Let's raise our voices. Let's say 'C'mon Mitch, bring up the bills.' Give us a vote," Cartwright said, before asking people listening to advocate for the House Bill 987 and other Democratic health care proposals.

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