Christine Chalkey shares with White House officials obstacles caused by Obamacare
WASHINGTON DC – An Illinois teen and his mother met with Vice President Mike Pence and presidential advisor KellyAnn Conway this week to explain firsthand how the Affordable Care Act has made his health care more complicated and expensive.
Jake Chalkey, 18, and his mother Christine – that live 100 miles southwest of Chicago in Streator – met Pence and Conway at the White House with several others from throughout the nation that have been detrimentally affected by Obamacare.
RocketNews.com reports:
Pence next introduced Christine Chalkey and her son Jacob, who Pence said has a “very rare condition.” Christine described it as an “unknown truth” and an “injustice” that “children and adults with physical and cognitive disorders, rare medical conditions” who get help through Medicaid are “being cut out as we expand Obamacare through Medicaid.” Christine described Jacob as a “perfect example” of this because “cuts” that followed a Medicaid expansion in Illinois made a drug he needed prohibitively expensive.
“What we ended up doing is trying a different drug,” Christine explained. “After three days of being on the medicine, Jacob had a major, life threatening reaction.”
Pence replied by referencing his experience as a former governor:
“I ran a state Medicaid program in Indiana, so I understand exactly what you’re going through. It might be counterintuitive for people to think that a state that expanded Medicaid is actually, as a result of that, reducing services to the most vulnerable. … That’s exactly what you’ve experienced.”
“Exactly,” Christine said. “We are a testament. … We are the truth.”
Jacob called himself “a living miracle” and said he had lived far longer than the handful of others who have his condition. Pence praised him as “an amazing guy.” Jacob handed the vice president a pair of envelopes and explained that one is for Pence and the second is for the president.
“It’s for you to get an insight to know about me,” Jacob said.
