Rep. Schneider Invites Beneficiary of ACA to Presidential Address

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Rep. Bradley Schneider, D-Ill., issued the following news release:

Congressman Brad Schneider today announced Tracy Trovato, an Illinois resident whose husband is alive today thanks to protections against lifetime insurance caps in the Affordable Care Act, would be his guest at President Trump's first address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday.

In 2013, Tracy's husband Carlo was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia. In their insurance documents, they found a policy stating their family's employer-provided plan capped lifetime medical services at a level which may not have been enough to cover the necessary treatment. However, due to reforms included in the Affordable Care Act which prohibited this practice, Tracy's husband was able to receive the care he needed to enter into remission without fear of hitting a lifetime cap.

"Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, our family was able to focus on getting my husband the best possible treatment, not fighting with insurance companies for coverage," said Trovato. "If my husband had been sick before the law took effect, our family could have been bankrupted by the cost of the care he needed. I worry that if President Trump repeals the ACA, our family could once again be just one major medical issue away from hitting our insurance cap."

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, 6.8 million Illinoisans have health coverage through their employer. In addition to allowing insurance companies to reinstate lifetime and annual insurance caps, repeal of the ACA would reverse many other benefits of those on employer-provided plans. These include the ability to keep children on parents' plans through age 26 and requiring plans to offer preventative care such as health screenings, contraception and flu shots free of charge.

"The Republican plan to repeal the ACA is reckless not just for those who depend on the law for coverage, but also for the millions of Americans who receive health insurance through their employer," said Schneider. "Because of the prohibition on lifetime insurance caps, families like Tracy's no longer have to choose between health care and bankruptcy. I will continue to work to find ways to build on the progress we've made in the ACA and improve the law to ensure all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care."

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