Many Americans worried about losing health insurance

Americans worried as axe looms over Obamacare

President-elect Donald Trump told the Washington Post he’s nearly done with a health insurance plan to replace Obamacare -- but he’s not giving any details yet -- and that has a lot of Americans worried.

As a child, Barbi Appelquist survived liver cancer. But as an adult, insurance companies could reject her based on the pre-existing condition. 

She said she spent most of her 20s with basic insurance that covered almost nothing.  

“I remember refusing tests because I was afraid I couldn’t pay for it,” she said. 

Barbi Appelquist survived liver cancer as a child, but as an adult, insurance companies could reject her based on a pre-existing condition.   CBS News

In 2010, the Affordable Care Act enabled Appelquist to find a private insurance that covered her pre-existing condition.

One year later, she was diagnosed with soft-tissue sarcoma.

“I was scared. I was really scared,” she said. 

But she wasn’t worried she could not receive the care she needed. 

“All that mattered was that I was at a place where the doctors knew what to do and I would be okay, and my family would be okay,” she said. 

What could the Trump replacement for Obamacare look like?

Congress took the first step to repealing Obamacare last week.

“Our goal is truly a patient-centered system,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said. 

Over the weekend, opponents staged rallies, from California to New Jersey, Oregon to Maine. 

President-elect Trump, who campaigned strongly against Obamacare, told the Washington Post he’s near completing a plan to replace it with the goal of “insurance for everybody.” 

Appelquist pays about $15,000 a year for coverage.

She estimates her basic care without it would cost upwards of $150,000. 

“Without something in place, without who is going to pay for it, it’s hard to put hope in that plan,” she said.

The president-elect has said he will unveil details after the Senate confirms his choice for Health and Human Services secretary.

He also promised to take a hard look at prices drug companies charge for Medicare and Medicaid.

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