For Julie Anderson, the recent healthcare bill that passed the House wasn't just another headline to skim over during her morning coffee. For this mom of a sick child [1], repealing and replacing Obamacare could have a life-changing impact [2] for her family, and she wants her elected officials to understand how their decision could directly kill her suffering kid.
When the North Carolina mom went to speak with her representative, Patrick McHenry, to express her concern over his vote, she was told that the police would be called if she didn't leave.
Before being escorted outside by a security guard, she was hit with a startling threat: if she didn't immediately leave, they would "take her baby, that baby will never be seen again, it will go to foster care and you will go to jail," she recounted on Facebook Live [3]. "Because apparently, you can take people's kids now and send them to jail for going to complain at their elected representative's office."
In the emotional clip following the incident, Julie explained exactly how this "bullsh*t" decision could hurt her daughter. According to Julie, if Loretta gets sick again, she will have to pay $12,000 out of pocket per month just for her medication — and that cost doesn't begin to cover appointments or fees for administering the medication. "There are thousands of people like me who are watching their kids get sicker and sicker and we can't do anything about it and people are actively working against us," she said.
However, Julie isn't going to let this incident stop her from being heard. "But I am not done … because making my child uninsurable for something that's not her fault, is not OK. If Loretta doesn't have her medication, she will die," Julie tearfully shared. "And I'm not OK with that. I am not willing to let my kid die because I don't have money and they are. That's super f*cked up."
Julie also explained how her husband volunteered for deployment so that their family could pay for the things that their kids need and could now lose the health care that he literally fought for. "The fact that he volunteered to go to a war so that our kids could live is not how this country should be," she said.
This dedicated mom is still going to have her voice heard, even if it means driving to Washington DC, and hopes that everyone who comes across her story will call, text, email, or visit their local representatives on behalf of the young lives at stake.