DURING ALL-CAUCUS, BICAMERAL PRESS CONFERENCE TO DEFEND COVERAGE FOR AMERICANS WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS, SCHUMER HIGHLIGHTS 11-YEAR-OLD HUDSON VALLEY NATIVE EMILIE SALTZMAN’S COURAGEOUS RECOVERY FROM TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND HER NEED FOR THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT PROTECTIONS
At 7-Years Old, Emilie Saltzman, Hopewell Junction Resident, Was Thrown From A Horse And Suffered A Traumatic Brain Injury; 4 Years Later Emilie Has Re-Learned How To Walk, Talk & Eat, Because Of Affordable Care Act Protections
On The Day Oral Arguments Will Be Heard In Supreme Court Case To Deem Affordable Care Act Unconstitutional, Schumer Points To Story Of Saltzman As Example Of Life-Saving Law’s Critical Importance
Schumer: Emilie Saltzman Is Proof Positive The ACA Must Be Protected At All Costs
At today’s Democratic all-caucus, bicameral press conference on the day oral arguments will be heard in the administration-backed Texas v. United States Supreme Court case to eliminate the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and health care for millions of New Yorkers, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer pointed to New Yorker, Emilie Saltzman, of Hopewell Junction, as an example of why the legislation must be protected at all costs. Emilie Saltzman, now 11 years old, suffered a traumatic brain injury after being thrown from a horse as a 7-year old. Ever since, Emilie has made and is still making a remarkable recovery in the Hudson Valley. While her recovery will be a lifelong challenge for Emilie and her family, they can rest assured that, thanks to the ACA, Emilie will never be denied coverage or care because of her pre-existing condition. Schumer said that the ACA and protections for pre-existing conditions give her the support needed to pursue the future that she wants and argued that the landmark legislation must not be struck down.
“The administration-backed argument that the ACA is unconstitutional couldn’t be more heartless or misguided, and there’s no better example of that than Hopewell Junction native Emilie Saltzman. Emilie, at only 7 years old, courageously fought through her recovery from a traumatic brain injury, re-learning how to walk, eat and engage with the world around her,” said Senator Schumer. “The ACA allows Emilie and countless others in Upstate New York to pursue their dreams without being crippled by health care costs. It protects 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, has provided tens of millions more Americans with health insurance coverage, has lowered prescription drug costs for millions of seniors and must be protected at all costs.”
Schumer has long fought to protect health care and the protections included in the ACA. In 2017, Schumer traveled across New York State in an effort to prevent the ACA from being repealed, making stops at hospitals in the Hudson Valley and New York City and speaking about the matter on a conference call with Upstate reporters. He also led the effort to defeat bills in Congress that would have wiped out protections for pre-existing conditions, decimated Medicaid and resulted in tens of millions fewer Americans with health care coverage, including more than 2 million New Yorkers.
###
