Rep. Blunt Rochester Invites Delawarean Who Relies on the Affordable Care Act to President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., issued the following news release:

Rep. Blunt Rochester today announced that she has invited Kerry Orr, a Delawarean who relies on the Affordable Care Act for healthcare coverage, to attend President Trump's joint address to Congress.

"I've acknowledged that there is room to improve the Affordable Care Act to promote access and to drive costs down, but we cannot simply repeal it without a viable replacement plan. The bottom line is that not only will tens of thousands of Delawareans be stripped of their healthcare, but thousands of good-paying jobs will be lost. Unfortunately, the GOP's outline is one that they can't even agree on and will undoubtedly raise the out-of-pocket health care costs of working families," Congresswoman Blunt Rochester said. "We have to come together and have an honest conversation, with members of both political parties at the table, about the ways we can improve quality of care and affordability for Delawareans and Americans alike. I will not abandon my convictions or play politics with the lives of my constituents because the truth is, for Kerry and so many other Delawareans, this is a life or death situation and I hope that President Trump as well as my GOP colleagues in Congress realize just how dangerous repealing the Affordable Care Act would be."

"The Affordable Care Act came along just in time to save my life! As a self-employed, single woman, I lived for many years with the fear that comes with being unable to afford health insurance. Having no family or personal history of disease, I hoped I'd continue to stay healthy. Once the ACA was passed, the mandate gave me the nudge I needed to shop for a policy, and a subsidy enabled me to afford one. Shortly thereafter, upon undergoing what I thought would be a routine test, I was diagnosed with state III colon cancer," Kerry Orr said. "All my treatments, including surgery and six months of chemotherapy, were covered and I'm healthy today. I believe we have a moral imperative to make healthcare accessible to everyone, and I hope that my story helps to convince lawmakers to build on the successes of the ACA to create a humane, compassionate system that works for all Americans."

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