Ali Chandra is a registered nurse, living in New Jersey, and she headed to Twitter Friday in a desperate plea to lawmakers and voters over the pending changes to healthcare in the U.S. She shared the most recent $231,115 hospital bill for treatment for her three-year-old son, Ethan, who recently had life-saving heart surgery. Ethan suffers from heterotaxy syndrome, a birth defect in which organs are arranged incorrectly in the body.

Healthcare bills already over the $1 million mark

In her post, Chandra said that while the latest bill is high enough, their various medical costs reportedly went over the million dollar mark quite some time ago.

She went on to say that the insurance coverage for Ethan’s treatment is now being threatened by the recently revealed GOP-backed healthcare bill. In other words, the American Health Care Act would not cover all the necessary treatment to keep her young son alive.

Chandra told CNN Sunday that her son had nine heart defects when he was born. The three-year-old also has two left lungs and around five spleens which have a dubious function. She added that his gallbladder and liver are located in the middle of his body, as is his heart.

Ethan’s stomach is located on the right side of the body, rather than the left.

Under the latest Senate bill, states would be allowed to seek waivers on what makes certain health benefits “essential” and could lead to lifetime limits on people’s insurance coverage.

Chandra said in an email to NJ Advance Media that she believes most people don’t understand just how much of their healthcare coverage comes under the heading of essential benefits.

Taking away essential healthcare benefits says you are not worth keeping alive

She went on to say those essential benefits cover visits to the ER, hospital stays, lab work, prescription medications, pediatric and rehab services.

Chandra challenged the news service to find one person in New Jersey who doesn’t require those benefits for themselves or their family. In Ethan’s case, Chandra fears that if the bill is passed and essential benefits no longer covered – including prescription medications and hospital stays, it will be really bad, as her son will need prescription medications throughout his life to survive.

She went on to say that a lifetime cap on health benefits literally means that you are not worth keeping alive, as you are too expensive. In one of her tweets, Chandra wrote that should lifetime caps come in, Ethan will be out.

Tweet over TrumpCare goes viral

While Chandra initially sent out her tweets to vent her feelings, she woke up to find out the whole country was now talking about her son. By Sunday evening, Chandra’s original tweet had gone viral, with over 50,000 people retweeting the message.

As she reads the Twitter comments, most are supportive, with people replying with their own stories or offering to help in any way they can. Others are less supportive and what she termed “savage,” saying Chandra is pushing a “political agenda.” However, she says the current healthcare situation is a reality and she wants lawmakers to come face to face with Americans who will be directly impacted by those laws.

Listen to Chandra's interview with CNN below.
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