Mom Tweets Son's $231K Surgery Bill in Plea to Save ACA

Alison Chandra fears her son will lose coverage under 'TrumpCare'
By Gina Carey,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 26, 2017 6:59 PM CDT
Mom Tweets Son's $231K Surgery Bill in Plea to Save ACA
Alison Chandra tweeted this along with photo: "It seems fitting that, with the #TrumpCare debate raging, I got this bill in the mail today from Ethan's most recent open heart surgery."   (Twitter: @aliranger29)

A New Jersey mother has given an adorable face to the healthcare debate in a viral Twitter thread detailing her toddler son’s rare genetic disorder and the costs it could incur should ObamaCare be repealed. Alison Chandra’s foray into the debate began Friday, when she posted a photo of her son’s latest hospital bill alongside the words, “It seems fitting that, with the #TrumpCare debate raging, I got this bill in the mail today from Ethan's most recent open heart surgery.” According to CNN, her son Ethan was born with a rare genetic disorder called heterotaxy syndrome, which causes organs to form on the wrong side of the body. Chandra also tweeted the bill’s tally, $231,115, which was almost entirely covered by her insurance provider.

Chandra’s thread, which shows photos of Ethan in the hospital and playing after recovery, struck a chord on Twitter; her first tweet was liked by more than 81,000 and shared more than 53,000 times. "It's been kind of crazy, honestly,” she told BuzzFeed News, “but I'm hoping that I can be a clear voice for our community and for kids like Ethan who stand to lose so much from this bill." The mother of two added that if Ethan’s coverage is taken away or given caps, the family would have to sell its home and move to Canada, where her husband is from. Meanwhile, Chandra says the healthcare debate has given her 4-year-old daughter political aspirations. "She told me recently that when she becomes president she's going to make sure that everyone can go to the doctor when they need to.” (More ObamaCare stories.)

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