Caitlin H.

When she was 40, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.

As far as cancer goes, it was the best case scenario. She had good health care and caught it early. She needed surgery and radiation, but not chemo. Soon, she was cancer-free.

However, the cancer had one long-term effect: Quality, affordable health care was no longer an option for my mom. Instead, she was faced with a choice: go without insurance — not a great option for a cancer survivor — or pay exorbitant amounts for coverage that amounted to nothing.

It was rough, but then the Affordable Care Act went into effect. She could pay reasonable rates and the quality of her coverage was once again worth the investment.

If Hillary Clinton is not the next president, all of that progress we’ve made goes away. We’ve seen Republicans (like the man who represents my old district in Georgia, Rep. Tom Price) vote to repeal the ACA countless times — a Democratic president is currently our only buffer. We need a nominee who can crush the Republicans’ chances of making it to the White House. And we need a president with decades of experience championing health care reform to build upon the progress we’ve already made.

There are numerous other reasons I support Hillary. I want a president who will keep her cool in tough negotiations with world leaders. I want a president who will make me feel safer by enacting safer gun laws. And I definitely want a president who understands that “women’s issues” — issues I, and most of my peers, have faced or will face — affect every aspect of our lives, including and especially our economic well-being.

But health care reform is what turned me political. It made me realize I was a Democrat through and through. And it’s the #1 thing I look at when I choose who to vote for. From chairing the Arkansas Rural Health Advisory Committee in 1979 to creating the Children’s Health Insurance Program to now, Hillary has been fighting to make sure we all have access to the health care we need. I have no doubt she can do it again — but this time, from the Oval Office!

-written Caitlin H.