Arizona mom speaks out for Obamacare
Sep 24, 2013, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:00 am
PHOENIX — It should have been one of the happiest times of Stacey Lihn’s life.
In 2009, she underwent an ultrasound at the doctor’s office where Lihn would learn whether she and her husband would be welcoming a boy or a girl. They learned it was a girl who would be born with only half a heart.
Zoey would need a series of three open heart surgeries. While Stacey and her husband focused on being positive for their daughter, they also worried about how long the insurance company would pay.
“By the time she had her second open heart surgery, she was halfway through her lifetime cap at only six months of age,” said Lihn.
After President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, Lihn said they got a letter from the insurance company dropping her daughter’s lifetime ban.
“Obamacare is not a political game to me,” she said. “It’s a lifeline for my daughter.”
Lihn admitted there will be challenges with the program.
“There will be kinks to work out, but the benefits of Obamacare are well worth working through those kinks and coming together as a country and figuring out how we can best implement this healthcare act.”
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, requires most employers to provide health insurance coverage to employees and requires people who do not have coverage through work to buy their own coverage. Depending on income levels and other factors, some people may receive subsidies.
Starting Oct. 1, people without insurance coverage can begin “one-stop shopping” at The Health Insurance Marketplace where they can find and compare insurance options.
