Issue 3 passed by a much larger margin because voters thought the new healthcare bill the President signed off on last year took away choice? The official language of the issue said it was a proposal designed to "preserve the freedom of Ohioans to choose their health care." What if you didn't have choice before the healthcare bill was signed into legislation? What if the new healthcare bill actually opened the door for children with disabilities?
Elisabeth never had a choice about healthcare through Anthem before the healthcare was signed into legislation. Her parents were stuck paying higher premiums because of her "pre-existing condition." Never mind that that none of the claims we've filed since her birth had a single thing to do with her "pre-existing condition."
A child who survived leukemia didn't have any choice, either. The new healthcare law protected all children from insurance companies hiking up premiums because they know they can. Parents of children surviving cancer had no other alternative but to pay the high premiums instead of looking for more affordable healthcare. They were denied from choosing a healthcare option that would give their child the best care for the little money they had.
Issue 3 actually took away the rights of the individuals choose their health care. The individuals who were paying thousands of dollars in monthly premiums just to keep their health care for their child with disability.
People (who don't have children with disabilities) wonder why we parents who have children with disabilities feel like we live on the margin in our society? We're not asking for center stage or the spotlight. All we want is a system that is fair for our children. Issue 3 was clearly one-sided with a much broader political agenda under which none of our children ever fit in.
