Rep. Chu Delivers Floor Speech On San Gabriel Valley Native Who Was Saved by ACA

Washington, DC – Today, both President Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Mike Pence addressed their respective parties in Congress to discuss the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) spoke on the floor of the House about a resident of the San Gabriel Valley with a preexisting condition who was able to find treatment thanks to the ACA. Rep. Chu's remarks are below:

"I rise today on behalf of Kalwis Lo, a young man from my district in San Gabriel, California who told me about his life was saved by the Affordable Care Act.

"When he was just out of college, Kalwis was shocked when he was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma. He learned that this disease would end his young life if ignored, but was actually easily treatable in the early stages. No longer covered by his university, he applied to every type of health insurance for insurance he could, but was denied every single time because of his pre-existing condition. He knew that through insurance coverage, he could get the chemotherapy treatments that could save his life. But with each denial, he felt more and more desperate.

"Then, Kalwis learned about the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan under the Affordable Care Act. This plan made insurance accessible to anyone denied due to a pre-existing condition. Thankfully, California was one of the states participating in the program, and Kalwis enrolled. Finally, Kalwis could afford the chemotherapy he needed. He is one of the millions of Americans given the promise of their lives back thanks to the Affordable Care Act."

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23, 2010. Since implementation, those who do not have health insurance, including those with pre-existing conditions are now able to purchase coverage through exchanges set up by their states, or the Federal exchange. In California, about 3,826,000 people have gained health insurance through Covered CA, the California state-run marketplace, a 54% reduction in the uninsured rate. There are also about 16,133,192 Californians with pre-existing conditions who could once again be denied coverage if the ACA is repealed.