Author: Jim

As a resident of Louisa County, mom of an 11-year old, and provider of Mental health services I am writing to encourage others to join me in supporting Abigail Spanberger representing Viriginia’s 7th Congressional District in the US House or Representatives.

Ms. Spanberger has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to supporting affordable accessible healthcare for all citizens, including children, senior citizens, and young adults. This has included advocating that coverage remain available for those with pre-existing conditions, as well as for adults 26 years and younger needing to remain on their parent’s plans while they get started on their own.

While Nick Freitas has made vague reference to protecting coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, he has failed to be clear on his plan for maintaining this coverage and has continued to support policies that do not cover pre-existing conditions. Not only has Mr. Freitas voted against Medicaid expansion, Politifact confirmed that his support of short term, inexpensive health policies does not comply with currently requirements to cover pre-existing conditions. Without these protections in place, all of us are at greater risk of difficulty in finding coverage and potentially faced with greater health costs.

It is important to remember that health costs overall are typically reduced for those with insurance coverage. So even though we pay for insurance and may have a co-payment or out of pocket expense for services, the charges are FAR less that they would be if we were not covered by that insurance plan.

It is hard to imagine how difficult it might be to handle the additional stress of paying for medical care for my daughter without insurance. Though generally healthy, she has been impacted by asthma like responses to basic illness and some other medical issues since she was very young. With ready access to doctors, testing and treatment, we have been able to learn about her medical issues and manage them with a limited amount of ongoing medication and treatment. Our insurance has allowed us to access this care at a more affordable rate. To consider the possibility of any child being denied insurance to support their medical needs because of a pre-existing condition is alarming at best. Prevention is far less costly than the intensive or emergency treatments that can come when issues are not identified early and managed pro-actively.

The stressors that greet young adults is often apparent in my work as a mental health provider. For those in their early 20’s access to health insurance can greatly smooth their path. Whether they are using their insurance coverage to access traditional medical care, mental health services, or necessary prescriptions the opportunity to remain on family insurance through age 26 allows young adults to have one less hurdle in establishing themselves as independent.

The concern about access to medical coverage is further heightened as we find ourselves navigating our way through this global pandemic. While it feels like we’ve been living in this COVID-19 lifestyle for way too long, it’s also true that we have yet to learn about the long- term impacts of COVID-19. Will prevalence of pre-exiting conditions grow? We don’t yet know. Costs of any treatment increase with time and severity of condition. Coverage allowing preventive care and early treatment, whether for COVID-19 or other conditions, tends to reduce expenses overall. Protecting access to insurance coverage for those with pre-existing conditions is a reasonable, even critical piece of maintaining a strong and healthy community.

Please consider the importance of access to insurance coverage for those you love. Even if your family is not faced with a pre-existing condition today, there is no way to know that this will remain the case. It’s stressful enough to be worried about the health of someone we love, especially a child. Knowing that insurance coverage is in place to ensure coverage and reduce family costs allows us to worry less about the money and focus more on supporting the people we love.

A vote for Abigail Spanberger will help to ensure that your family will be protected should something unexpected arise.

Ann Tourangeau
Louisa

[CV]

Nick Freitas has thrown his hat into the ring to challenge Congresswoman Spanberger. In his video he states: “My mom always said if somebody needs help, you have a personal responsibility to intervene”. But words are easy to say and harder to back up. Since the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior I looked into his voting record to see what his priorities might be. Mr. Freitas was one of only two who voted against SB423 requiring health insurance companies to cover the cost of hearing aids for children. 91 other legislators voted in favor of the bipartisan bill. Trouble hearing can be detected at a young age and even babies can be fitted with behind-the-ear aids. Children with hearing loss may have trouble developing speech, social skills, and have trouble learning. Does Mr. Freitas not understand basic child development? There is a critical period, up to age 5 where a child can develop language and after that it becomes much more difficult. Did he consult with any pediatricians before he voted? How is denying children healthcare helpful? Mr. Freitas intervened, but not on behalf of the children in need of help.

In his video he further stated “My dad really instilled in me that you have an obligation to protect people who can’t protect themselves”. Mr. Freitas was the only one who voted against requiring health insurance companies to cover the cost of diagnosis and treatment of autism (HB 1503). 97 other legislators voted in favor of the bipartisan bill. The range and severity of symptoms of autism varies greatly and early expert evaluation is necessary. Difficulty with communication, social interactions, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and sensory issues are just some of the symptoms families manage. Does Mr. Freitas not understand that autism is a lifelong condition? Common sense tells us that addressing a problem early results in a better outcome and research proves this to be true. Mr. Freitas failed to protect people who can’t protect themselves.

So who is he intervening for? Who is he protecting? These votes suggest that he is protecting for profit health insurance companies. Does he oppose services for all children with disabilities or just these two? I have spent my entire career advocating for children with disabilities and it is rare to find a politician so extreme and heartless about denying services to children who need them. I am thankful that he was overwhelmingly outvoted both times by a bipartisan legislature. Mr. Freitas does not act in accordance with his words and cannot be trusted to act in the best interest of the people.

In contrast, the incumbent, Congresswoman Spanberger has voted as she said she would. She has voted to support the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid expansion, both of which we have here in Virginia. She cosponsored and passed legislation to lower the costs of prescription drugs. We need a representative who works to benefit people, not health insurance corporations who earned $913 Billion in profits in 2019. Vote for all children, vote for Spanberger.

Aleta Strickland
Licensed School Psychologist

[CV]

If you had the chance to vote to increase access to high speed Internet (broadband service) in rural areas, right here in Louisa, would you vote yes or no? Nearly everyone I know would vote YES on such a measure. They would vote for it because broadband is so important for our jobs, education, entertainment, shopping and other everyday activities

Nick Freitas had that chance and he voted NO. He was one of only 6 members of the House of Delegates to vote against House Bill 831. He has voted against broadband numerous times. It’s been made clear by his actions; Delegate Nick Freitas doesn’t think it’s important for us to have broadband.

Abigail Spanberger, our US Congresswoman, listens to her constituents and has taken every step she can to get us reliable, high-speed internet. She helped introduce the Moving America Forward Act, which includes the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act. She has worked tirelessly to bring funding to ReConnect, the USDA program designed to bring the Internet we need to the rural counties she serves. She recently led a successful bipartisan effort to increase that funding by 78%. Abigail Spanberger very much wants us to have high speed Internet.

Spanberger’s opponent in her run for reelection this November is Nick Freitas, who currently represents the 30th district in the Virginia General Assembly. Freitas doesn’t want us to have broadband Internet. So, I don’t want him to have a position in Congress.

Sincerely

Jim Wolf
Louisa

[CV]Frietas Doesn’t Support Broadband