‘Save our health care’ residents chime during Rock Hill walk protesting Obamacare repeal

Jan. 15--ROCK HILL -- Without the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare, Fort Mill resident Amy Hilton Schuler said her uncle could die.

Schuler, 43, said she and her uncle have type 1 diabetes and rely on insulin treatments. She said that without the ACA, her uncle, who has many other health problems related to diabetes, won't be able to get the treatments he needs.

"My uncle will die," Schuler said. "Before the ACA, he could not afford his insulin and the family had to help out."

Schuler joined more than 40 people Sunday in showing support for the ACA by walking in downtown Rock Hill, signs in hand. The rally was part of a national Day of Action through the Our First Stand movement led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, according to a release from the South Carolina Democratic Party. The movement supports saving the health care program.

Schuler said her uncle is a Republican but has benefited from the health care act. Without coverage, she said his treatments cost thousands.

"I'm concerned that (congressional Republicans) are so obsessed with destroying Obama's legacy, that they are not thinking clearly about how they are going to replace the ACA and how they are going to ensure that people like my uncle continue to be protected," she said. "If they don't come up with a replacement plan that will allow for pre-existing conditions, my uncle will die."

Schuler, who has health care through her employer, said she is also concerned that if the government removes protection for pre-existing conditions, it could entice private employers to do the same.

Also walking was Maria Gallegos, 51, who said that without the ACA she would go back to a life of pain. Gallegos suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, the most common type of arthritis. The condition occurs in people with a compromised immune system, and it affects the wrist and small joints of her hand.

Without Obamacare, Gallegos said, she would not be able afford medications that help control her pain and allow her body to function as it should.

"They are very expensive," she said. "If they take that away from me, my body will not be able to perform. I want to work because I can and I don't want to go back to that pain."

Originally from Ecuador, Gallegos now lives in Mount Holly, N.C. She said coming to the U.S. has given her more opportunities.

"I love this country," she said. "I owe so much to this county. It's so sad what is happening."

Charlotte resident Tyler Semon, 23, said he is on his parents' health care plan and would be facing out-of-pocket expenses without the ACA, which allows adults to be on a parent's plan until they turn 26.

"I don't want to see the ACA repealed and not replaced with a proper plan," he said.

Carri Decarlo, a Medical University of South Carolina student and Sen. Sanders supporter, came from Charleston to attend the rally.

"It's really important to get involved locally," she said.

Many of those who walked in Sunday's rally also feared for the future of Medicare and Medicaid. Repealing the ACA could lead to higher deductibles and copayments for those on Medicare and affect the coverage of prescription drugs, known as Medicare Part D.

The Our First Stand movement claims that the repeal would cause nearly 30 million people to lose health insurance, reduce Medicaid coverage and defund Planned Parenthood.

"It's necessary; we have to have our health care," said Bobbie Harrison, who organized the walk. "We have some people walking today whose lives have been saved by the ACA."

No one in support of repealing the ACA stopped by the walk Sunday.

Amanda Harris: 803-329-4082

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