I am a 25-year-old graduate student at the University of Washington, two weeks away from turning 26, with no idea what my health care will look like in the future.

My original plan was to be on the Affordable Care Act until I graduated and found work, but now I don’t know. I have a chronic condition I was born with and need semi-regular treatment. Not only will the dismantling of the ACA mean that I will be without insurance until I get work after graduation, it also means there is a good chance I won’t get work at all due to the removal of needing to work with pre-existing conditions.

I am, overall, a very privileged white woman, but the future is still pretty terrifying for me. I can only imagine the fear my neighbors are currently feeling as their rights are systematically slashed away.

Kristi Boes

Seattle