The Hill: Democratic rep announces she has cancer while defending Obamacare

The Hill - A Democratic congresswoman announced her cancer diagnosis Tuesday during a hearing focused on ObamaCare's protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
Jessie Hellmann
The Hill

A Democratic congresswoman announced her cancer diagnosis Tuesday during a hearing focused on ObamaCare's protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), 67, said in a House Ways and Means Committee hearing that she has had small cell lymphoma for ten months, but is now in remission.

She used the announcement as a chance to praise ObamaCare. Without its protections, she said, she would die from the cancer.

"This is a cancer I will live with for the rest of my life, but, because of my high-quality health care and insurance coverage, it is not a cancer I will die from," she said in a statement after the announcement.

"I am announcing my remission today to remind everyone on this committee that I am a living example of the lifesaving value of essential health benefits."

The hearing Tuesday comes as 20 Republican-led states seek to have ObamaCare overturned in court.

The administration declined to defend the law, and argues that its consumer protections are unconstitutional.

Democrats are looking to tie Republicans to the lawsuit, arguing they don't support those protections.

Republicans say they do support those protections, but that ObamaCare is unaffordable.

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