{mosads}The supporters at McHenry’s town hall included a mother whose son died of colon cancer. The cancer was treated as a pre-existing condition and the family could not buy insurance, the mother, Leslie Boyd, told a local television station.
“Without ObamaCare, as it’s called, 70 percent of people with pre-existing conditions can’t get insurance,” she said. “70 percent. That’s terrible. Because what that does is say, ‘You can die.’ “
Boyd said she had met earlier in the day with other ObamaCare supporters and discussed personal stories that could be shared at the town hall. The crowd at the event dwarfed McHenry’s previous town halls, drawing about 270 people while others were turned away for lack of space, according to the Citizen-Times.
Another area resident said that because of a pre-existing condition, he was only able to afford insurance that cost $1,300 per month.
The healthcare law bars insurers from charging higher premiums because of pre-existing conditions and establishes new insurance marketplaces where people who do not get coverage through their employer can shop for it on their own.
Most people using the new exchanges will receive a tax subsidy to help cover the cost of their premiums.