For music's 'medical refugees,' Obamacare is a lifeline worth protecting
by August Brown
Last April, doctors told David Ponder, a 57-year-old gospel musician living near San Diego, that his heart was going to fail. He had already had quadruple bypass surgery; without a full transplant he and his music would likely die within months.
Three months later, with the help of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ MusiCares charity, he had a new heart. With it came a renewed faith in his music, his beliefs — and the necessity of the Affordable Care Act.
“I’d ask everybody who doesn’t believe in the ACA to put yourself in someone’s shoes who needed it to sustain their life,” said Ponder, who now plans to audition for the new season of “America’s Got Talent.”
Although his procedure was paid for by Medicare and Medi-Cal, Ponder has become one of many musicians lending their voice to MusiCares’ call to protect the ACA.
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http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-grammys-aca-20170203-story.html
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