MyCare: Ashley D. in Scarborough, ME

Ashley D: One of the major benefits I have with the Affordable Health Care Act is that
I get to stay on my parent’s health insurance until I’m 26 which means during this period,
I can just worry about my health.
Music
I was born with Cystic Fibrosis and it’s an inherited disease and it’s chronic and
unfortunately most patients with Cystic Fibrosis spend a lot of time in the hospital.
-hands pounding back-
Ashley D: I have physical therapy and they come twice a day.
We do “chest PT” and it’s rhythm and percussion on the lungs to break up the mucus.
At the moment I am on two transplant lists, waiting for what they call life saving double
lung transplant.
If the transplant doesn’t happen I will just continue to get sicker but they call
it-I’m “end stage” lung disease.
-guitar being played-
I am a music teacher and the Affordable Care Act helps me because now I don’t have to
worry about my pre-existing condition.
When the Affordable Care Act was passed I was so happy.
If I went into get insurance before the Affordable Care Act passed, I feel like I just would
have been laughed at.
Sharice, like 500 dollars which is awesome.
Wow, that's really, really good.
My expenses for my medication because I have such a chronic illness, are just sky high.
One stay in the hospital was $144,000 dollars, right around there, that was just for a month
in the ICU.
Unfortunately I’ve spent the last three months in a hospital.
The Affordable Care Act has made it so CF does not define me.
Otherwise I would be spending all my time trying to figure out how am I gonna come up
with the money, when I’m not even healthy enough to do that.
Because I have a pre-existing condition it’s a scary situation.
The Affordable Care Act helps me because now I don’t have to worry about lifetime limits
or Pre-existing conditions.
Music
The health care law is about people like me.
It’s Ashley care.