Larry Drain is the type of person you see at Kroger.
He's an average middle-aged man with thinning gray hair and a lined face.
You'd never know he's been struggling to keep his family--especially his wife--in good health with no insurance for the past five years.
He's an average middle-aged man with thinning gray hair and a lined face.
You'd never know he's been struggling to keep his family--especially his wife--in good health with no insurance for the past five years.
"This is a day of good news when we thought it would be bad news," he said.
About 50 other people with stories similar to Drain's gathered at the Krutch Park Extension on Thursday night to celebrate the United States Supreme Court's decision to uphold Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. Most of the revelers were older, though a couple younger people showed up. The group was only jeered once. The man was quickly converged on by the rally's organizers and left shortly after that. Obama himself even made an appearance--in the form of a cardboard cutout carried by Clay Mulford and Janice Spoone.
About 50 other people with stories similar to Drain's gathered at the Krutch Park Extension on Thursday night to celebrate the United States Supreme Court's decision to uphold Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. Most of the revelers were older, though a couple younger people showed up. The group was only jeered once. The man was quickly converged on by the rally's organizers and left shortly after that. Obama himself even made an appearance--in the form of a cardboard cutout carried by Clay Mulford and Janice Spoone.
The gathered group held signs declaring love for "Obamacare," the president, and freedom. People waved flags and cheered whenever possible. But they all seemed to realize that this victory was just one step in the right direction.
"As you know, the job is not done," said Jim Sessions, a United Methodist minister. "Our government is going to have to step up to the plate."
Brian Bonnyman, a family practice doctor and medical director of the Center City Clinic of Cherokee Health Services told the stories of a few of his patients who suffered because they had no access to insurance or proper healthcare. One man he saw blew out his knee while playing basketball with his kids and missed the window of time when it could've been fixed. The man is now on disability for the rest of his life, Bonnyman said. Another man he saw but could not treat was coughing up blood. He couldn't afford the test he needed for Bonnyman to make a diagnosis, and a year and a half later, still doesn't know what's wrong.
"I hear a story like that every week," Bonnyman said.
He added that access to health care is necessary for everyone because "sooner or later, we're all patients."
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