“Central New Yorkers Speak Out” social media campaign launches to highlight human impact of TrumpTax and healthcare sabotage
Speak Out CNY Will Publish a Series of Stories from Residents of NY-22 & NY-24
In First Story, Resident of Tenney’s District Shares How The Affordable Care Act Saved His Son’s Life – And Future
By Will Brunelle of Speak Out CNY
Speak Out Central New York today launched a new social media campaign to highlight how real Central New Yorkers will be punished by Congressman John Katko’s and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s consistent votes to reward wealthy campaign donors and undermine American healthcare – including taking insurances away from tens of thousands of their own constituents.
Stan Scobie, a Central New Yorker and constituent of Claudia Tenney’s, shared the first story of the “Central New Yorkers Speak Out” campaign:
“Just six months before the Affordable Care Act went into effect, my son suffered from sudden cardiac arrest. He died twice before finally being resuscitated. He survived, but because he was uninsured, he faced more than $500,000 in medical bills and ultimately declared medical bankruptcy.
“Because of the ACA, my son has been able to become well-employed and medically insured. But without the constant attacks and attempts by the GOP to delay its passage, David’s condition would have been covered, and he could have avoided bankruptcy and lived a fuller life.
To Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, who has repeatedly tried to take our health care away, I want to say that the ACA didn’t just save my son’s life; it saved his future.”
Stan’s powerful story was recently featured in a letter to the editor printed in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, and is only one of thousands of similar stories across both Tenney’s and Katko’s districts. The months-long campaign will feature stories from both districts, emphasizing how the ongoing Republican healthcare sabotage robs millions of New Yorkers of access to healthcare, and how the TrumpTax funnels more than 80 percent of its benefits to the richest 1 percent, while leaving working families, students, the elderly and more to fend for themselves.
Both Tenney and Katko voted in December to pass the TrumpTax, which repealed the ACA’s individual mandate and – by the admission of even former Trump officials – is expected to drive up healthcare premiums nationwide, forcing millions to forgo medical insurance and threatening millions of working families with extreme debt and a lack of access to life-saving care.
Tenney also voted last May to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would have stripped insurance from 37,800 of her own constituents, and threatened access to insurance for the nearly 300,000 people in her district who suffer from pre-existing conditions.
See the first posts of the campaign here:
- Twitter: https://goo.gl/jNBGRc
- Facebook: https://goo.gl/3DRDnF
About Speak Out Central New York
Speak Out CNY is dedicated to educating and empowering Central New Yorkers through grassroots organizing, digital advocacy, and community partnerships. By advocating for policies that help working families make ends meet, we aim to encourage our members of Congress to protect our health care and work to expand economic opportunity.