Jeff Jeans, who is active in politics and was a candidate for mayor when he lived in Eureka Springs, has become a living symbol of the harm that could be done if Republicans overturn the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, including the provisions that people with pre-existing conditions can receive health insurance coverage.
Jeans, who moved to Sedona, Ariz., seven years ago, came under the national spotlight for pressing to retain the health insurance he believes saved his life after he was diagnosed with stage four vocal cancer five years ago. After being interviewed for an article in the Huffington Post, he was flown to Washington D.C. for a CNN town hall meeting with Rep. Paul Ryan, the House Majority leader who is leading efforts in the House to repeal Obamacare.
“A Sedona small-business owner’s appearance at a CNN town hall Thursday night is going viral after he told House Speaker Paul Ryan that he was a lifelong Republican until the Affordable Care Act saved his life,” said an article in The Arizona Republic Jan. 13.
“I am not trying to promote myself personally, but am sharing my story so the millions of people with pre-existing conditions will have a voice even though I lost my normal voice with my cancer,” Jeans was said in The Arizona Republic.
Coverage of that event propelled Jeans into the public eye. Articles about losing his health coverage have been published in New York Times, the L.A. Times, Mother Jones, Business Insider, Salon, Rolling Stone and numerous television outlets, including CNN and MSNBC. It was one of the top news stories in the country for two days, last January but is even more appropriate now.
“It has been an unbelievable experience,” Jeans said. “This is something I would have never have dreamed would snowball like it did.”
One reason why the story was so compelling is that Jeans used to campaign for Republicans including Reagan and Bush. He had a Libertarian philosophy and believed private businesses were best suited to deliver healthcare and healthcare insurance. Then he was diagnosed with advanced vocal cord cancer.
“I assumed if you got cancer, they would treat you and you could pay cash,” Jeans said. “But that is not true. We offered to pay for the treatments, which were about $30,000. We offered cash and they wouldn’t take it. They would not treat me without an insurance card. I had always been insured, although we found out it was a junk policy, until I took a job. There was a glitch in my benefits and I fell through the cracks and was uninsured. I got the lifesaving insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Obamacare saved my life.”
Jeans said before Obamacare, half of people with no insurance were people who owned small businesses.
“These were not people who didn’t want to work,” he said. “That is such a misconception. Many of these people are the working poor, people that work two or more part-time jobs and small business owners who work more than sixty hours a week. It breaks your heart. Now I’ve been through all these expensive cancer treatments, I look back at all those friends in Eureka Springs who died or almost died because they didn’t have health insurance. It is so sad.”
Jeans has started the Facebook page, Obamacare Saved My Life, and continues to be active advocating saving Obamacare. The health care advocacy work he has done is something he would never have dreamt of doing earlier in his life.
“It was something that didn’t even cross my mind,” Jeans said. “But now it takes up so much of my time, it is almost a full-time job. I have met so many cool people that have told me their stories. I had breakfast with Representative O’Halleron. I met with Paul Ryan’s and Bernie Sanders’ healthcare staff for over an hour. I have become close friends with some of these people like me who have pre-existing conditions. Losing healthcare coverage could cost us our lives. They are beside themselves with worry. Taking away healthcare would be a death sentence for so many people. I just can’t believe in America they would take healthcare away from people. That just blows my mind.”
Overturning The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would hurt average, everyday Americans, Jeans said.
“A lot of our friends have children with congenital heart defects,” Jeans said. “If you repeal the Affordable Care Act, these kids are going to die. How can that be happening in America? It is very sad. I’m definitely not a Libertarian any more, but I do think a lot of Republican leaning people identify with me. They look at me and say, ‘I could be that guy’.”
For people who suggest that people without health insurance could just go to the emergency rooms for treatment, Jeans points out that you can’t get treated for cancer or have a triple bypass heart surgery in the emergency room.
“Some people think doctors take an oath that they have to treat you,” he said. “That is so wrong. People think they will let you pay overtime. That is wrong, too.”
Facing death as a result of the cancer, and then facing the problems with getting healthcare treatment, has made Jeans into a different person.
“I’m a completely different person than I used to be,” Jeans said. “My outlook on life is totally different. I love life and take care of myself. No more vices and I am a vegetarian. I’m much healthier than I used to be. I spend a lot of time advocating for health care. For example, I just wrote an article for the New York Daily News.”
He has also become interested in alternative medicines for cancer treatment.
“CBD oil is amazing,” Jeans said. “We have older dogs and one kept getting skin cancer. We put CBD oil on it and the cancer disappeared, like magic.”