The annual University of Central Missouri homecoming parade took place in Warrensburg today. In election years local (and sometimes statewide) politicians walk the parade and greet people along the route. The lineup for the parade starts at around 7:30 a.m. Almost everyone is waiting in place by the time the parade starts at 9:00 a.m., though the politicians usually don’t step off into the parade route until around 10:00 a.m. The wait gives those in the parade an opportunity to converse, talk, visit, schmooze, or whatever you want to call it.

This morning before the parade started Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) met Randy Huggins’ grandson for the first time.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) in the University of Central Missouri homecoming parade in Warrensburg this morning.

Over five years ago then candidate Vicky Hartzler (r) held a health care town hall in Warrensburg:

A health care story (September 3, 2009)

[….]

SMP: And, and you’ve told your story in a variety of, of places. Last week you attended a, another forum for, in this area. Could you tell me about that?

Randy Huggins:…Last Thursday I went to a health care information forum, I guess you could call it, Vicki Hartzler [a declared Republican candidate for the 4th Congressional District seat] held here. And she had concerns about the legislation and she had things that she liked about the legislation. Then she said she had solutions. The solution that she offered for the pre-existing condition my grandson had was, she offered to bring the family a, a hot meal. [pause] We’re hungry, but that’s not gonna help his heart, so.

SMP: And so, do you, do you feel some frustration when, when dealing with this, you know, the subject of health care reform and when you feel like people give you solutions that really aren’t solutions?

Randy Huggins: Absolutely it’s frustrating. [pause] I, I just, I don’t understand where they’re coming from. Why they can’t see the need to fix, the system’s broken. And they don’t see any need to fix it or to change it in any way. Just….

[….]

Randy Huggins and his grandson after the homecoming parade in Warrensburg – October 18, 2014.

Randy Huggins informed us that he approached Representative Hartzler (r) this morning and introduced his grandson to her. She was pleasant in her response and probably wasn’t yet making the connection.

He then told her this was the grandson who had the congenital heart defect for which his daughter’s health insurance denied coverage because they considered it a preexisting condition. He added that this was the grandson for which she had suggested people could bring a hot meal to the family to help out. He told us that she was somewhat rattled and responded about the propriety of making it political.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) and the republican party made it political in 2009. She continues to make it political and makes the consequences of losing health care very real for millions of Americans ever time she votes to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. This morning Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) had to face just one story in that reality.

Previously:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): the Affordable Care Act and what repeal really means to one family (July 13, 2012)

Previously:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): And what will happen to the children? (July 11, 2012)

Well, Vicky? (January 6, 2011)

Uh, would that include bringing a hot meal to everyone without health insurance when they get ill? (November 28, 2010)

A health care story (September 3, 2009)

This week Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) voted again to repeal the Affordable Care Act:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler ‏@RepHartzler

The House has repealed ‪#ObamaCare‬! We must repeal this bill that’s increasing health care costs & making it harder for businesses to hire. 12:57 PM – 11 Jul 12

In 2009 we interviewed Randy Huggins, a resident of Leeton, Missouri – in the 4th Congressional District, about one of his personal experiences with the health care reform dialog. With the republican House of Representative voting, yet again, to repeal the Affordable Care Act we sought out Randy Huggins to ask him how the implementation of health care reform has affected him and his family in the interim, and how repeal would impact them:  

The transcript:

Show Me Progress: I’m Michael Bersin with Show Me Progress and I’m speaking with Randy Huggins from Leeton, Missouri. Randy, could you tell us about your grandson’s quote preexisting condition and the impact of not having insurance?

Randy Huggins: Uh, yes. Uh, my grandson was born in December of two thousand and four. And, uh, all of the prenatal care was taken care of under my daughter’s health care insurance. And then when they determined that he had a congenital heart defects the insurance company denied coverage saying that his policy didn’t start until he was born and so this was a preexisting condition.

Show Me Progress: And so, what happened, uh, from that point, uh, with his, uh, care for his heart condition?

Randy Huggins: Um, he was, uh, seen at Children’s Mercy Hospital [Kansas City, Missouri] and was treated at Children’s Mercy Hospital, um, and charities paid for it, for the most part.

Show Me Progress: In two thousand nine, uh, you attended a town hall by then candidate Vicky Hartzler and you, uh, related your health care story. What was her response?

Randy Huggins: Uh, her basic response was, uh, that someone in the community should bring our family a hot meal. I think that’s a kind of a slap in the face that, uh, she would suggest that the church bring somebody a family, somebody’s family a hot meal. Uh, it’s usually something that’s saved for a funeral.

Show Me Progress: How has the Affordable Care Act changed things for your grandson?

Randy Huggins: Uh, my grandson had a second open heart surgery in March of this year and because of the Affordable Care Act it was covered under his mother’s health insurance.

Show Me Progress: What does repeal of the Affordable Care Act and Representative Vicky Hartzler’s vote to repeal it mean to you and your family?

Randy Huggins: Uh, it means financial insecurity for all of us. Uh, without having health insurance you know you’re going to have something come up. So, basically we would have to set everything aside and save for any health issues that would, would come up in the future.

Show Me Progress: Uh, but at the same time, uh, would saving cover everything?

Randy Huggins: I seriously doubt that we’d be able to save that much.

Show Me Progress: Uh, and, and how would that affect your, uh, grandson’s future?

Randy Huggins: Well. He would never be able to get any health insurance, um, because of the preexisting condition with his heart even if, when he is eighteen, to buy his own policy, he wouldn’t be able to get a policy. Uh, he would never have any kind of financial security.

Show Me Progress: And so the, uh, the Affordable Care Act, um, means that your grandson has a possibility of a future.

Randy Huggins: He, he has a possibility of, of a piece of the American dream, yeah.

Show Me Progress: Well, thank you very much for your time.

Randy Huggins: You’re welcome.

There is a profound human cost to repeal of the Affordable Care Act. A profound human cost.