Before my husband got sick in June, we didn’t always wear masks. We were worried for our 12-year-old daughter, who has an immune disorder that requires me to homeschool her, because we knew she was high risk. At the same time, however, we thought the COVID-19 risk was low in rural South Carolina, and we trusted our nation’s leaders to keep us safe.
My husband, 48, voted for President Donald Trump in 2016, and we’ve both voted for Senator Lindsey Graham in the past. Never did I expect that these two men, along with Graham’s Republican colleagues in the Senate, would force through a Supreme Court justice who will, very likely, be responsible for taking away our health care when we need it most.
In some ways, we are the lucky ones. More than 230,000 Americans have lost their lives because of COVID-19. But our lives are changed forever by COVID-19. My husband spent 81 days in the hospital. During that time, he developed pneumonia, had a lung collapse and was on a ventilator four times, which left scarring on his trachea, making it difficult for him to talk now that he is home. But his difficulty talking is just the beginning of his long-term health issues. He also suffers from severe memory fog and is still on oxygen. He was our family’s sole provider, and I have no idea if he’ll ever be able to go back to work.
Since July, my family of three has been living on short-term disability, making as much as we can out of the $300 we get each week. But that runs out in December, and we don’t know what comes next. My daughter has to be homeschooled because her immune system isn’t strong enough for school. My husband has to be home because of the long-term health issues after his fight with COVID-19. So I have to stay home to take care of them both, leaving no one who can go to work.
With Senate Republicans refusing to fund support for COVID-19 survivors and, worse, voting for a new Supreme Court justice who has publicly stated her opposition to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it feels like the lawmakers we supported aren’t supporting us at all.
And while I hope that things will get better, I’m terrified they won’t. Before the pandemic, Senate Republicans tried to overturn the ACA with legislation. That effort failed, and now they’re making an end run through the courts. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on the ACA on November 10. With Barrett on the court, the result of this hearing is almost certainly the denial of insurance coverage or higher premiums with limited benefits for families like mine.
Threatening to take away Americans’ health care when they need it most is the height of cruelty. More than 9 million Americans have contracted COVID-19 and are now living with what will likely be deemed a pre-existing condition. The callousness of Trump and his allies, who did so little to stop the spread of the virus, refusing to guarantee survivors access to the health care we need is simply staggering.
No one should have to live in fear of being bankrupted by medical bills, especially in the middle of a pandemic and economic crisis. We deserve to be led by people with empathy.
Trump and Senate Republicans have failed us on COVID-19, and now they’re pushed through a Supreme Court nominee who could destroy our health care. If they won’t put the safety of our families first, they deserve to be held accountable at the ballot box.
Summer Barrios is a member of COVID Survivors for Change, as is her husband, Robert. They live in Seneca, South Carolina.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
