Story highlights Cedric Claytor's family fears that any health care law replacement could cause financial ruin

Claytor is paralyzed, and his family cares for him thanks to removal of lifetime insurance limit

Father: "If it weren't for Obamacare, (Cedric would) be dead, a long time ago"

(CNN) Howard and Mary Ann Claytor's living room is a jumble of medical devices, looking more like an intensive care unit than a home. It is filled with breathing machines, respiratory monitors, a manual lift and feeding tubes, all aimed at keeping their paralyzed 29-year-old son, Cedric, alive.

The Claytors have essentially transformed themselves into home health care workers, making their son's life as comfortable as possible. He's lifted and moved with a manual crane. He must be shifted and turned often to avoid bed sores. He is fed intravenously. Cedric's daily regimen of drugs -- a handful in the morning and evening -- are crushed and added to his feeding bag; his oxygen levels are constantly monitored; and a pulsating sheath, called a percussion vest, is wrapped around his chest twice a day to keep mucus from building up in his lungs.

They are able to care for their son, in many ways, because of Obamacare. That's not because they purchased insurance on the Obamacare market, nor did they qualify for Medicaid. They got insured through Howard's job. But one part of the Affordable Care Act removed a barrier that could have destroyed any chance of the family's ability to pay for all their son needs to remain alive.

Before Obamacare, families like the Claytors faced financial destruction if a loved one developed a serious illness.The Affordable Care Act lifted the lifetime spending limit on care that many insurance policies had. Those limits often capped coverage at $1 million or $2 million in job-based plans.

"We make good money, and it's still hard to get by," Howard said. "If it weren't for Obamacare, (Cedric would) be dead a long time ago, and we'd be out on the street."

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