By now much has been made of the three Republican Senators who voted no on the “skinny repeal” of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Some commentators have also mentioned Senator Mazie Hirono, who left treatment for stage IV kidney cancer in Honolulu to vote no. There are two groups of people who also deserve praise for their efforts to defeat this measure.
Members of the disability rights group ADAPT. These folks literally put their bodies on the line in the Capitol and Senators’ home offices to lobby (and, yes, shame) some of the lawmakers to vote against the ACA repeal bills. The sight of police lifting people out of their wheelchairs and arresting them changed many minds among the public. It’s a miracle nobody suffered serious injury, as the bones of folks with paraplegia are extremely fragile. Often the only thing allowing disabled people to pursue productive lives is Medicaid to pay for their medical care, wheelchairs, and home health.
The littlest lobbyists – children with disabilities and their parents. Again, Medicaid permits them to attend school with their peers and just be kids. It’s hard to believe that some Senators were not won over by these children and their families, but compassion is often in short supply when up against powerful political pressure.
There will be other attempts to weaken or repeal the ACA in the next few weeks. It’s critical to keep pressure on elected officials to do the right thing. It’s a matter of life or death for the disabled and others.
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