TWW - Louisville Member Spotlight "Health Care Coverage" - Meet Betsy

May Member Spotlight - Betsy 
by Amy Merrick

                                                                        Betsy far left

Betsy is an advocate, a mother, a small business owner and a woman who has spent her life fighting for health care rights. She is a health insurance consultant on ACA, Medicaid, Medicare and commercial insurance regulations. Originally from Macon, Georgia, Betsy has lived in Kentucky off and on for 20 years. She has two amazing sons who are equally passionate about the environment and healthcare. You will often hear Betsy speak of her oldest son Len, who is the oldest living survivor with his particular heart defect and was uninsured for seven years prior to the ACA. Here is Betsy’s story in her own words.

"My life changed drastically in January 2016 when I started traveling with the Arkansas Travelers for Hillary Clinton. I had never been involved in a political campaign before but I had a chance to support a woman I had admired since she was First Lady and started the discussions on universal health care. I have been a health care advocate since my son's birth with a rare heart defect. Thanks to the ACA, my son had insurance coverage while I could remain self-employed. Now those successes were under attack.

"I spent 2016 doing everything I could to support my candidate. I never in a million years thought that she would lose to the eventual victor. Like many of you, I was truly devastated after the election. It took me weeks to even figure out what my next steps would be. I had a lot of time to reflect on the loss, the future and the past, and my anger... oh, the anger. I have never ever been so angry. I found Pantsuit Nation Louisville (now TWW) and found those who were feeling as lost as I was. It provided an outlet for all of us to discuss how we felt. For me it turned into activism for ACA where I speak publicly about healthcare.

“I do not know what I would have done without this amazing group of people! I lost many friends as have others as a result of this election and found many more through the activities in this group. In the very early days a very dear friend, Lisa DuPree, started a walking group at Cherokee Park. We walked every morning at 5:45. It did not matter what the weather was. We were so busy talking about how we felt that we didn’t even notice – it was such great therapy. That first group has now turned into a couple more. I look forward to those walks every day. They were my salvation in the early days now they are my lifeline with good friends.

"We are under attack in this country at its most basic level. Attacks against people of different races, cultures, religions, genders and LGBTQ. The USA was founded to provide equal rights under the law for all. That was the intent of the Constitution and it is still the intent today. Throughout history and up to today we have seen that tenet being ignored, usurped in the cruelest way possible. In my lifetime I have seen many changes in the right direction but not nearly enough. We are in an era now where I fear that if we do not keep on being visible at all times for EVERYONE we will not continue to go forward. The picture of the faces fighting today is a diverse one and we should continue to fight together for all. If you do not understand or are not comfortable with an issue or cause, ask. That is how we learn. Be there!
I am and from this day forward will continue to be an activist. This is just the beginning. After the recent ACA vote I even had thoughts of running for office. I will definitely be out there helping to find and mentor candidates to take Congress back in 2018 and 2020. The time is now and we can do it.

“The most effective tool for change I have found is talking, being out there on the front lines, being visible and making sure that what we say can be heard for the facts, not the language of our actions. Be steady, be firm, be heard! One thing is for sure -- the current President has knocked us out of our complacency. This country was built on diversity. We have to fight for the rights of everyone.... the rights we had taken for granted and the rights we are fighting to win."