Kutztown University professor questions President Trump at Philadelphia town hall

Sep. 16--Health care has been a leading issue in the presidential campaign.

But for Ellesia Blaque, it's quite literally a matter of life and death.

Having been diagnosed with a serious medical condition at birth, the Kutztown University assistant professor worries that President Donald Trump's plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act would eliminate the ban on insurance companies charging higher premiums to people like her who have preexisting medical conditions.

So she took her concerns straight to the source.

Blaque, who lives in Wyomissing and voted reluctantly for Hillary Clinton in 2016, was one of a handful of uncommitted voters chosen to question Trump during an ABC News forum Tuesday in Philadelphia. And it turns out that her exchange with the president ended up being one of the most memorable of the night with clips of the interaction being shared widely across social media platforms.

Here's the moment that grabbed the attention of millions:

She said: "Should preexisting conditions, which Obamacare brought to fruition, be removed without --"

"No," Trump said.

"Please stop and let me finish my question, sir," Blaque replied.

Trump immediately stopped his retort and continued to listen.

Blaque's question to Trump

The president responded to the question, saying he will soon be rolling out a health care plan that would replace the law known as the Affordable Care Act that will include protections for patients with preexisting conditions.

Moderator George Stephanopoulos pointed out to Trump that he has been promising a new health care plan for three years but has failed to produce a package that would pass both chambers of Congress. And Stephanopoulos questioned his effort to get the Supreme Court to strike down the Affordable Care Act without having a new blueprint in place, saying such a move would essentially eliminate protections for those with preexisting conditions.

Trump denied the notion that the lawsuit his administration is pushing through the court system would terminate all aspects of the Affordable Care Act.

But his own Justice Department told a federal court in June that protections for preexisting conditions and other provisions cannot be separated from the mandate and should also be overturned.

"You know, Obamacare has been a failure from Day One," Trump said. "It's too expensive, whether it's the premium or whether it's the cost generally. And they don't have their doctors, and they don't have their plans. We're going to have a very good health care. I think maybe a great health care for less money."

Blaque told The Associated Press in a phone call Wednesday that she wasn't buying his response.

"He just fluffed me away like I'm nobody," Blaque said.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, on the other hand, is a strong supporter of the Affordable Care Act. He has argued that expanding the law and keeping a mix of government plans and employer-based insurance would be more practical, less costly and less disruptive.

But he has called for a public option that would be available to Americans who cannot afford commercial insurance and favors increasing subsidies to help Americans buy plans on insurance marketplaces created by the law.

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