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Rape survivor worries about access to insurance under GOP health care bill

Posted at 6:19 PM, May 06, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-08 11:32:18-04

Taylor Hirth is still reeling from her brutal rape last February. Police say multiple men broke into her Independence apartment and took turns raping her, while her young daughter laid next to her in bed.

Taylor took to social media to speak out again about that terrifying experience in light of the GOP health care bill that just passed the House.

Opponents say the bill would remove protections for more than a dozen pre-existing conditions, and that rape is one of them.

While the bill does not list rape as a pre-existing condition, victims like Taylor are worried about their access to medical care.

"The health care bill just feels like an attack on women. We are the ones who have C-sections, we are the ones who have post-partum depression, and pregnancy, and we are the most common victims of rape," Hirth told 41 Action News.

The fear is that the bill would allow states to opt out of an Obamacare rule that bans insurance companies from raising prices for people whose care is more costly.

The aftercare for rape is costly.

"It had never even crossed my mind about follow-up care, the medication that you need after experiencing an assault. The HIV prevention meds, the STD prevention meds, the pain meds," Hirth said.

People across the country are rallying against the house bill, including here in Kansas City.  Folks came to share concerns at the Lenexa Community Center on Saturday.

Hirth hopes the Senate listens.

"I feel like I run into dead ends at every turn when I'm trying to get the health that I need and get the justice I need, and health care I need," Hirth said.

Senators say they'll likely come up with their own version of the bill. The process could take months.

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