Trump voter who survived cancer: Graham-Cassidy health bill worst by far The president said everyone would be covered. I got critical treatment through Obamacare then watched in horror as he and his party tried to repeal it.

Dennis Wallace | Opinion contributor

Show Caption Hide Caption AP FACT CHECK: Graham-Cassidy Health Care Bill Who's right — President Donald Trump and Sen. Bill Cassidy, or late-night host Jimmy Kimmel? Associated Press journalist Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar broke down the bill, the facts and spoke about the Kimmel-Cassidy feud. (Sept. 21)

The last Democrat I voted for was Jimmy Carter. The last Republican I voted for was Donald Trump. After the past eight months, I am now a health care voter.

My story, and my family’s story, is like so many others. In 2008, after a 20-year career in health care, I became another statistic in the number of uninsured Americans and no longer had a job or employer-provided health care. I had followed the American dream and started my own small business. I am a barber in Tennessee and I love it. I was able to get insurance through my wife’s job.

A year later, her company closed and moved to Mexico, leaving us without health insurance. We had the option of going on COBRA to extend her company coverage, which we did; but it was expensive and ran out after 18 months — leaving us back at square one. I was then told I could buy health insurance on the private market place, so I did my investigating and found the only plan I could afford was a temporary policy that did not cover pre-existing conditions. As it was my only option, I took it.

After seven months, I began to have difficulty swallowing and had an endoscopy. I was then notified that my insurance company would not pay the bill because I had a pre-existing condition called heartburn. That cost was passed along to me.

More: The Russians are hacking. Luckily Trump voter fraud commission isn't in charge.

More: As Obamacare repeal implodes, Democrats prep for single-payer self-destruction

As soon as the Affordable Care Act went into effect, I signed up on the exchange and had a second and third endoscopy. I was told I had esophageal cancer. I had surgery and a follow-up procedure and have been cancer free now for three years. I wrote my Republican congressman to tell him of my great experience with the ACA and received no response. I wrote my Republican senator and received a nice form letter about how bad the ACA was and how the Republicans were going to repeal it.

I wrote to the former president Barack Obama's White House and told them my story and they celebrated with me the news that I was cancer-free and that the ACA had saved my life. I then listened to then-candidate Trump who said that after he was elected president, everyone would be insured.

Over the last seven months, I have watched in horror as Republican leaders have tried to repeal the ACA, seemingly by the seat of their pants, only so they can say they fulfilled their campaign promise, with no regard to the consequences of their actions. I have watched as the Republican leadership abdicated their responsibility to the American people, and pushed whatever will get them to check the box with their big dollar donors — whether it's repeal without a replacement plan, the “skinny bill,” or this current bill. What is the common thread? Each attempt cuts coverage from millions and raises costs while weakening vital protections.

More: Florida Health Care Association: We're dedicated

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

The latest assault, the Graham-Cassidy bill, goes even further. This bill is worse than other repeal bills and would cause untold harm to working families, seniors, people with disabilities and children. It's similar to earlier legislation that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said could cause up to 32 million fewer people to have coverage in 10 years.

Graham-Cassidy would allow insurance companies to once again charge people with pre-existing conditions more and to gut other key parts of the law. It strips money from Medicaid, which serves people with disabilities, seniors in nursing homes, children and other vulnerable populations. It would let insurance companies charge up to five times more for people over 50 and it eliminates tax credits that make health care more affordable for people with coverage through the ACA.

I understand there are issues with the ACA that need to be addressed, but must we deny millions their health care so politicians can say they kept a campaign promise? Is it so wrong for Republicans and Democrats to work together to address these issues, hold committee meetings and public hearings on a bipartisan approach, and demand to know the full impact of the bill they are voting on? No — we must not, we can’t.

We must have affordable health care for all. I know, I’m living proof.

Dennis Wallace, a barber near Chattanooga, Tenn., is an esophageal cancer survivor.