Georgia has nine counties with no physician whatsoever and seven hospitals have closed since our state refused Medicaid expansion. And yet Perdue and Loeffler refuse to help.
What would you do to protect your child? My family has stayed isolated to protect our daughter from this pandemic. The medication she takes to treat a chronic illness suppresses her immune system, so COVID could be very, very dangerous for her. The last eight months haven’t been easy—we’ve had to take extreme measures to protect the health of the one we love most.
But during these 245 days in relative isolation, as we’ve watched with horror as over 339,000 Americans have died, our senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, have truly failed us. Rather than meeting the challenge of this moment, they have worked to dismantle the very health care millions rely on, trade stocks on privileged information, and serve as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s handmaidens in blocking truly meaningful COVID relief.
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Health care should not be a matter of personal wealth, race, and geography, but that’s how it currently stands in Georgia. Our family must travel over 640 miles each year to see our child’s specialists. And we’re not alone in facing this challenge: Georgia has nine counties with no physician whatsoever and seven hospitals have closed since our state refused Medicaid expansion. And yet Perdue and Loeffler refuse to help.
After an emergency C-section in 2010, we still owed close to $2,000 for the operation that allowed for the birth of our child, despite having great insurance. According to a study published last year, 530,000 medical bankruptcies occur every year in America, while the number in other wealthy nations stands at zero. American exceptionalism should not mean that we lead the way in highest medical debt per capita.
Despite the fact that our plans included a larger family, we felt forced to stop at one child because we were terrified of the medical expenses from having more children with potential chronic conditions. Georgians, and all Americans, deserve better. We should demand better from our leaders. Lack of affordable care has affected our personal decisions. It has infringed on our freedom.
RELATED: Loeffler’s Healthcare Plan Could Leave 1.8 Million Georgians With Pre-Existing Conditions Unprotected
I am 43 years old and I have nothing saved in my retirement fund. Like so many Georgians, healthcare costs have wiped out our savings, and too many people are choosing between lifesaving care and food to eat. Our Senators have a combined net worth of $815 million, and they have decided that letting us eat cake is a reasonable substitute for policy.
We need senators who understand that the Affordable Care Act is the only thing between thousands of Georgians and financial ruin, who don’t use their day job to yank healthcare away from the people they represent while they exploit the trust we place in them to add to their already massive fortunes. Together with the Republican majority, Loeffler and Perdue have put forth zero reasonable, affordable alternative plans. It’s time to vote for candidates who will recognize that universal health care is a moral imperative.
Instead of using the power of government to do good, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler have focused on enriching themselves and cementing power for Mitch McConnell. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock will push Washington to work for a brighter future. Leading the way to changing the soul of the nation is Georgia’s birthright. The fierce urgency of now requires our vote.
READ MORE: ‘I’m Ready for Tuesday’: Here Is What’s Inspiring Georgians To Vote in the Runoff Elections
Chalis Montgomery Chalis Montgomery is a former congressional candidate from Bethlehem, GA. She ran for office in 2018 knowing that a truly representative body requires people who understand the struggles of everyday citizens. She and her husband are both teachers, working from home during the pandemic.
