The people of Maine need affordable, quality health care. The American Health Care Act will be detrimental to the well-being of most people across the state.

The Affordable Care Act, enacted under President Obama, ensured that those with pre-existing conditions were not charged more for health insurance. The AHCA, under the Trump administration, will eliminate this. As a result, many people, including myself and my family, will no longer be able to access life-saving care.

I didn’t plan on having a cesarean section when I delivered my oldest child, but I had to, and his birth left me with a pre-existing condition. Without the surgery, he would have died. I made the right choice; he’s a happy, healthy college sophomore. He is a student athlete, is on the President’s List at his college and has been selected to serve as a resident adviser next year. He makes me proud every single day.

I loved my father very much. Although he’s been gone for 17 years, not a day goes by that I don’t think about him. I inherited a pre-existing condition from him, but that doesn’t make me love or miss him any less.

My younger child struggles with depression. There have been times during this year where I have feared for his life and worried that he may become another statistic. He will now be labeled as having a pre-existing condition.

We – the people – must stand up to protect our access to health care. In order to do this, we must remind Rep. Bruce Poliquin and Sen. Susan Collins who they are representing: us, the people of Maine.

Joy Clark

Fryeburg