CF Advocate Serves as Witness at Congressional Hearing on Pre-Existing Conditions

Chad Riedy, an adult with cystic fibrosis, served as a witness on Wednesday before the House of Representatives' Education & Labor Committee at a hearing on the threats faced by workers with pre-existing conditions.

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On Feb. 6, Chad Riedy, an adult with cystic fibrosis and volunteer national advocacy co-chair for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, appeared before the U.S. House of Representatives' Education & Labor Committee to share his story about life with CF and discuss the significance of pre-existing condition protections.

This committee's first hearing of the 116th Congress, “Examining Threats to Workers with Preexisting Conditions,” focused on the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on employer-sponsored insurance. Riedy advocated for critical health care protections such as the ban on annual and lifetime coverage caps, limits on out-of-pocket expenses, and the option for young people to stay on their parents' insurance plan until age 26.

 

Riedy-hearing-2019
Chad Riedy, an adult with CF, served as a witness at a House Education & Labor committee hearing entitled “Examining Threats to Workers with Preexisting Conditions.”

“I am here today with hope for the future -- a future where I grow old with my wife and see my kids grow up, graduate college, get married, and start families of their own. This is all because of the access that I have had to adequate and affordable coverage and the protections that the ACA has provided,” said Riedy. “I am not asking you to take care of me, as I am already doing that myself. I understand that the law is not perfect, but the protections it contains are critical to me and millions of other Americans with pre-existing conditions.”

Other panelists included Sabrina Corlette, JD, research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University; Dr. Rahul Gupta, chief medical and health officer at the March of Dimes; and Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute. To learn more about the hearing or view a webcast of the event, visit the Education & Labor website.

Watch Chad Riedy share his story and answer questions from members of the Education & Labor Committee.

Riedy's testimony is an example of the importance of people with cystic fibrosis and their loved ones telling their story about life with CF. Share your story today!

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