During an appearance on MSNBC on Friday, Stephanie Miller reiterated her belief that a measure like President Barack Obama's health care law could have saved her sister's life if it were enacted during her battle with cancer.
Miller's sister, Kelly Hines, passed away of colon cancer in 2008. Hines did not have health care coverage.
On Thursday, a tearful Miller found herself face to face with President Barack Obama on the campaign in trail in Ohio, and thanked him for passing health care reform. Miller and Obama were captured on camera sharing a hug.
Asked on MSNBC about what she told the president, Miller said, "I truly believe that if a bill like President Obama’s had been in effect 5 or 10 years ago, my sister could’ve went to the doctor, she could have gotten preventative health care." She added, "They could’ve detected the cancer early, it’s one of the most curable cancers there is. She could still be here with her kids."
Miller continued, "I want people to see what the lack of health care does to families in this country. Not a day goes by that we don't think about my sister. Not a day goes by that her sons don’t miss her. No family should have to go through this just because there's not affordable health care in this country. We have one of the best medical care systems in the world."
She said, "Nobody should have to do this."
After Miller met the president, HuffPost's Sabrina Siddiqui reported on Thursday:
Soon to start a job as a corrections officer at a state prison in Ohio, Miller suddenly found herself in the national press, after a White House pool reporter spotted and wrote about her encounter with the president. The Huffington Post contacted Miller who shared her full story.
Miller recounted her brief exchange with the president, in which Obama told her he was sorry to hear about her sister's death, and that he would keep Hines in his thoughts.
"He said he would keep on fighting for us -- and that our fight is not over," Miller told HuffPost.
The Supreme Court ruled the individual mandate -- a central feature of Obama's health care law -- constitutional last month.
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