Ridgefield boy with muscular dystrophy becomes focus of SCOTUS hearing

A 10-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy from Ridgefield has become the focus of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's hearing.

News 12 Staff

Oct 14, 2020, 10:25 PM

Updated 1,461 days ago

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A 10-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy from Ridgefield has become the focus of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's hearing.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal highlighted Conner Curran during the confirmation hearings. In weeks, the Supreme Court will hear a crucial challenge to the Affordable Care Act.
"The cost of providing Conner's care is astronomical," Blumenthal said.
Curran's family has insurance, but Obamacare protects them from lifetime coverage caps - no matter how expensive his care gets.
"We have a Duchenne drug, just a steroid... it's $100,000 a year. If gene therapy is approved... when Conner got gene therapy; and if gene therapy is approved, they're talking, that could be a $3 million to $4 million, one-time dose," says Chris Curran, Conner's father.
When asked what they would do if the ACA protections went away, Chris Curran says he would sell their house to help Conner.
Republicans say there's a better way.
"Obamacare has caused premiums to skyrocket. The average family's premiums have risen over $5,000 a year," says Sen. Ted Cruz.
President Donald Trump has yet to offer an alternative plan.
"To repeal it is the worst idea. Let's rework it so that we can... so it can benefit everybody," says Chris Curran.
"If they could just look at it like, 'you never know when you're going to need it. You might not need it right now,'" says Jessica Curran, Conner's mother.
Conner's story will be the center of this weekend's Connecticut Power and Politics.