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Dear Congress, Please Protect Medicaid for People With Disabilities

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Dear Congressional Republicans,

My name is Brooks Fitts, and I’m a 19-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go on one of my favorite rides at Disney World, Soarin’. As I climbed aboard and began my ascent into the sky, I began to wonder what would happen if we gave everyone the chance to soar.

What do I mean by that? Well, a report by the independent Congressional Budget Office that was just released indicates that there will be 14 million fewer insured Americans by 2018. Various analyses have also shown that the elderly and disabled will suffer disproportionately under your healthcare proposal, and the rich will benefit. This proposal also slashes Medicaid expansion, something that personally irks me. I was a product of Medicaid. I received braces and insulin thanks to Medicaid. I was the first person in North Carolina to get an OmniPod insulin pump through Medicaid, and I want to be sure everyone in my great state gets the healthcare they need.

While I was on Soarin’, I couldn’t help but think about how your plan would prevent the most vulnerable from reaching their full potential, from soaring to new heights. When the disabled, elderly, and poor succeed, everyone succeeds. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

If possible, I would be more than honored to testify in front of Congress and let every representative know how life-changing Medicaid has been for me. It’s beyond time we let every American get the care they deserve, so they can soar to new heights.

Editor’s note: This story reflects an individual’s experience and is not an endorsement from The Mighty. We believe in sharing a variety of perspectives from our community.

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Image via Thinkstock.

Originally published: March 22, 2017
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