French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as part Of this generational shift toward a new centrism. "The traditional divide between le 仕 and right, capital and labor, small state and big state, high taxes and 10W taxes doesn't define politics in the way it did in the past; ” he says. "We see new diViS iO ns emerging. The problem forVaradkar—which may come tO define his tenure in 0 価 . ce ー is that one Of the most pressing divisions iS be- tween his country and its closest neigh- bor. The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union presents a gi- gantic obstacle notJust tO Varadkar's am- bitions for lreland but also for lreland's ambitions on the world stage. Member- ship in the E. し has been central t0 the country's growth from one 0f the Conti- nent's provincial backwaters tO a major cultural and economic force. SO while Britain may be content tO turn its back on Europe, he says, "we are absolutely con- vinced that our place is at the heart ofthe European home that we helped t0 build. ' THE SON OF A DOCTOR WhO emigrated from Mumbai and a nurse from southeastern lreland, Varadkar knew 仕 om an early age that he wanted to enter politics. There is a popular story that at age 7 he announced he wanted tO become the Minister for HeaIth when he grew up. "My mum wanted me tO be a doctor like my dad, and at 7 , I really wanted to be a politician, and I managed ⅲ my mind to combine the two," he explains. He did study medicine, at Dublin's Trinity College, but he was also heavily active in student politics and spent a summer in Washington interning for Jack Quinn, then a Republican Congressman from New York. He went into local government, where he won a reputation as a straight talker, and wonhis first seat in the D 1 , lreland's Parliament, in 2007 ー although his party, Fine GaeI ("Tribe of the lrish ” ), was then in opposition. The following year, the collapse of lreland's major banks in the worldwide economic crisis almost bankrupted the country, forcing it t0 seek a C67.5 billion bailout from the E. U. and the IMF in 2010. Tarnished by the crash, the ruling party, Fianna F 1 , was ousted in the 2011 election, and Varadkar was named Minister for Transport, Tourism and 24 TIME July 24 , 2017 Sport in the government led by Fine Gael's Enda Kenny. ln this role Varadkar had his first brush with DonaId Trump. Then a private cit- izen and developer of a golf course in Doonbeg, County CIare, Trump contacted him in 2011 tO resolve a planning issue. "lt was a small thing; ” Varadkar recalls. "lt was resolved by the county council rather than by me, but it was resolved. ' StilI, the future U. S. President thought it prudent tO give the government min- ister overseeing the project a call. "I got the impression he was the kind ofperson who would pick up the phone and want to ring the man or 、 V01 an WhO iS in charge over there, rather than necessarily going through normal bu sine s s or diplO matic procedures; ” Varadkar says. "There are pluses and minuses tO that. ” Varadkar 's own straight-talking got him intO trouble that same year, when he suggested in a newspaper interview that lreland was "very unlikely ” to resume borrowing on financial markets and might need a second bailout. HiS comments provoked anger from his colleagues and caused jitters about lreland's credibility on international markets. But his political progress continued: in 2014 , he fulfilled his childhood ambition by becoming Minister for Health. But it was his admission about his sexuality the following year that gave him a new national prominence. HiS frankness was considered key to the campaign tO legalize same-sex marriage, and a political risk in a country where being gay was illegal until 1993. Yet his sexual orientation played no prominent role in the leadership contest that brought him tO power after Kenny announced his intention tO step down in May. "I think it has just reflected a change in lrish society that has already happened' ” 7 〃 E / ー SEE US AS LA ー THE CENTER 0 ド どⅣ 0 0 Varadkar says. "But it does add additional responsibility on 1 れ e tO use the Off ℃ e that I now hold to advance equality of opportunity ... not just for people from the LGBT community here in lreland, but also around the world. ” He leads lreland just as crisis is evolving int0 opportunity. Under the evenhanded management Of Kenny and years Of punishing austerity measures, the lrish economy has made a remarkable recovery, ranking for the past three years as the fastest growing one among the 19 countrie s that use the euro. Construction cranes once again stipple the Dublin skyline, and work has resumed on buildings left unfinished during the recession. ln the month before Varadkar took offce, unemployment fell to a nine- year low 0f6.2 %. The country's reputation as a tax haven also remains largely intact, despite some battering. The IOW corporate tax rate 0f 12.5 % , plus a generous range 0f specialized concessions, have made lreland a magnet for U. S. tech and pharma multinationals looking for headquarters overseas. But last year the European Commission ruled that a sweetheart deal given t0 Apple lnc. by the lrish government amounted tO illegal state aid. Apple, the world's largest company by market capitalization, paid a tax rate Ofjust 0.005 % in 2014. The commission ordered the company to pay ℃ 13 billion ⅲ back taxes, although both Apple and the lrish government are appealing to Europe's top court. Varadkar insists that the ruling should not dissuade Other U. S. companies fro m taking advantage of the country's generous tax infrastructure. "l think the fact that we are defending our tax policy sends a very positive message tO companies, American or otherwise, WhO may wish tO invest in lreland,: ” he says, rejecting the claim by some critics that the republic allows what amounts tO tax evasion. "I dO think corporations should paytheir t . We have made some changes already in lreland," he says. As an example, Varadkar offers the closing ofthe "double lrish" loophole that permitted companies tO dramatically shrink their corporate tax liability. "We will continue to make changes tO prevent corporations from avoiding paymg tax anywhere, which is not something we stand for," he says.

alliance of major medical and industry groups, including the American Medical Association, the AARP and the American Hospital Association, are fighting t0 safe- guard those same programs. ln the second week of July alone, the AARP and Save My Care, an advocacy group, spent nearly $ 2 million on broadcast, cable and radio spots targeting Republican Senators on the health care bill, according to Adver- tising Analytics, which tracks such spend- ing. A handful 0f Republican governors, including Nevada's Brian Sandoval, Ohi0's JOhn Kasich and Massachusetts' Charlie Baker, have crossed the aisle to oppose the first version ofthe Senate health care bill. ln attempting t0 make both sides happy, Republican lawmakers have spent the past few months performing some- thing of a wobbling dance. The House passed a version Ofa new health care law ⅲ May, which would reduce federal Medi- caid spending by more than $ 800 billion over 10 years, compared with current law. lt effectively removed the signature Obamacare requireme nt that insurance companies Offer coverage at similar rates tO everyone, regardless Of pre-existing conditions. The nonpartisan CongreSS10- nal Budget Offce estimated that the bill would leave 23 million more people with- out insurance after a decade, compared with current law. Trump championed the House bill in a televised Rose Garden cer- emony, then later described it as "mean. Senate Republicans have followed a similar tack. Their draft, which borrowed Pastor James Richard Burr— not tO vote for any measure heavily 仕 om the House plan, cut federal that would affect the state Medicaid Brigman Jr. , 52 Medicaid spending by $ 772 billion over program that covers Lauren Faith'S care. 10 years, allowed states tO opt out Of re- "Lauren is never going tO get any bet- HOW HEALTH CARE AFFECTS HIM quiring insurers tO cover basic ter; ” Brigman says. "She can't walk, SO I Brigman's daughter Lauren Faith, 9 , benefits such as maternity care or pre- walk for her. She can't stand, so I stand for weighed less than 2 わ . when she scription drugs , and eliminated the bulk her. She can't speak, so I speak for her. ” was born. She survived, but she has of the Ob amac are taxes on wealthy Amer- cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder. The Brigman family is covered by North icans. The CBO estimated the bill would THIS IS NOT the place Republicans ex- CaroIina's Cap/C program, which relies leave 22 million Americans without insur- pected t0 be ⅲ . Having campaigned for on Medicaid fundingto provide home ance by 2026 compared tO current law. TO seven years on a promise tO repeal the care tO severely disabled kids. patient advocates, any bill resembling the ACA and claw back federal spending, House plan iS a nonstarter. seen WHAT HE'S DOING ABOUT the party is at last in a position tO deliver. Brigman is walking about 350 miles three versions of this bill—all of them lnstead, they've been thwarted by an in- from his home in Rockingham, N. C. , tO would be devastating for our kids," says creasingly pitched, internecine battle confront his Senators in Washington. MicheIIe Morrison, who has brought her over the future of the GOP brand. He estimates that thejourney will 6-year-01d son Timmy t0 C 叩 it01 Hill half On one side, conservative lawmakers take him tWO weeks, and he says he a dozen times as part Of a group she CO- plans tO pray along the way. ・ Are they and powerful benefactors like the Koch going tO stick with a political party?" founded called Little Lobbyists. "Unless brothers are pushing tO eliminate regula- he says Of his elected officials. "Or are they do a complete 180 from what they've tions and reduce outlays t0 programs like they going tO dO what's right fO 「 the been doing, it's going t0 be bad. ” Medicaid. On the other side, constituents American people?" As McConnell prepared t0 unveil anew like the Trach Mommas and a powerful 3 々 宝 3 第 37

TheBrief Dispatch Twenty years 0 取 , 0 取 g Kong a 取臧 China are more apart 亡 a 取 ever By Nash Jenkins/Hong Kong IF YOU TAKE A TRAIN ABOUT 18 MILES NORTH OF HONG Kong'S city center and then board a creaky minibus, you will eventually find yourself on the outskirts ofthe village ofMuk Wu, which is comfortably lost to time. Here, the dense, dated, brutalist heights of Hong Kong's apartment complexes give way t0 rolling hills and rice paddies. There's a vine-covered temple at the village center with incense burning inside. Street dogs sleep in the alleys. Because this is meticulously run Hong Kong, a public restroom stands on the main lane, and it iS immaculate. Not far from MukWu, just before midnight on June 30 , 1997 , thousands ofmainland Chinese troops rumbled across the border into Hong Kong. lt was 156 years earlier that the British wrested it from China; in that time the subtropical territory, once hO sting little more than a fishing village , was transformed, most implausibly, into one 0f the world's great metropolises. NOW it was returning tO Beijing's rule under one country, tWO systems ” : Hong Kong would retain its own government and laws tO bulwark its liberal cap italist ethos under the ultimate sovereignty Of a communist power. TWENTY YEARS HAVE PASSED. Such anniversaries are arbitrary markers mostly, but they invite an opportunity for reflection—on where things are, on pledges kept or not, on what's tO come next. Never before in Hong Kong's history has such reflection been timelier. The story of contemporary Hong Kong, many residents say, is a story ofbroken promises, Of a city that has seen its crusades for democracy repeatedly defeated and its liberal values inexorably eroded by its overlords in Beijing. This as the mainland itselfhas flourished—China is the world's second biggest economy after the U. S. , and its middle class ranks among the most upwardly mobile anywhere—while Hong Kong suffers from unaffordable hous ing, limited profes sional opportunities and one ofthe widest wealth gaps in the developed world. T0day Hong Kong is an increasingly integrated part of China. Local authorities hew ever closer to BeiJing's line; main- land companies are dominating local commerce. And yet men- tally and emotionally, Hong Kong is a city 叩 art, more so than at any Other time since the handover, as the 1997 return to Chi- nese sovereignty iS known. ln a recent survey by the Univer- sity ofHong Kong, nearly two-thirds ofrespondents identified themselves as Hong Kongers rather than Chinese. "We've been brought up in a different culture," says Anson Chan, a former top Hong Kong offcial fighting for the city's freedoms. "We might as well have come from a different part ofthe world. The authorities have been singing a different tune. Their refrain: "One country, two systems" is working just fine; discontent is not widespread but emanates from a small group oftroublemakers. ForJuly 1 , the 20th anniversary 12 TIME July 24 , 2017 ofthe handover, the Hong Kong Supporters 可 government labored tO prepare an 日 0 れ g Kong's epic celeb ration, which was attended pro-democracy by Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Umbrella first visit tO the city as China's leader. Movement Lampposts around town carrie d the watchfireworks event's slogan: TOGETHER, PROGRESS, 0 れ Ju 1 , the OPPORTUNITY. The anmversary S 20th 0 れれⅣ ersa 以 offcial theme song, called "Hong 可市 e city's Kong Our Home,: ” extols a city that is return tO China "shining ever brighter. ” One local online commentator wondered, "Does this 'home ' still look like a home ? ” IT CAN BE ARGUED that thiS malaise is nothing more than the logical conclusion ofa century and a half ofpowerlessness. "Hong Kong has always been a colony," says 26-year-old independence activist Chan HO-tin. "We were a colony under the British, and we're a colony under the Chinese. never had a say in our future. ” That's not an unfair point. ln the early 1980S , London and Beijing started negotiating the future of Hong Kong, the British lease on which was set to T Y R 0 N E S 一 U ー R E U T E R S

Angéla L 〇 riO never th 〇 ught she w 〇 uld have a friend like Jessica Mich 〇 t. L 〇 riO is a Republican wh 〇 〇 nce trained tO be a nun. Mich 〇 t is a Dem 〇 crat wh 〇 went t 〇 sch 〇 OI t 〇 be a social W 〇 rker. LoriO watches F 〇 x News; Michot watches MSNBC. L 〇 ri 〇 v 〇 ted f 〇 r D 〇 nald Trump. Mich 〇 t was for Hillary Clint 〇 n all the way. But the two Louisiana moms, whO live Just a dozen miles apart, were drawn tO each other by a force stronger than poli- tics. They met in 2013 , after discovering on Facebook that they had overlapped for months in a Baton Rouge neonatal intensive care unit, praying over tiny beds. Lori0's son John Paul and Michot's son GabrieI were born at 27 weeks, which led tO severe problems that require them to eat through feeding tubes and breathe through "trachs. ” B0th boys, now 4 , also have developmental delays, and their mothers rely on Medicaid t0 defray the COSts Of caring for their sons at home. LoriO and Michot connected immedi- ately over shared experiences—cleaning trachs, mixing formula, inserting feeding tubes—and they soon launched a group for parents like them. They called it Trach Mommas Of Louisiana. "This is the 6 t time l've had a very close friend that was on the other end 0f the [political] spec- 34 TIME July 24 , 2017 trum," says Lori0, 43 , wh0 cares for J0hn Paul full-time. "We can look in another mom's eyes and say, 'l've been there. ' That's what unites us. NOW, as Trump and the Republican- controlled Congress work tO overhaul America's health care policy, LoriO and Michot find themselve s united for another reason: bOth n101 れ S are committed tO stopping the Senate Republicans' health 'We're not going tO wait until there's a bill passed t0 speak up. If we wait tO speak up, it'll be too late. ' ELENA HUNG, mother Of Xiomara, 3 , WhO uses a trach tube tO breathe care plan, which they see as a direct threat to their children's welfare. Of particular concern iS a provision in a Senate draft proposal that would allow insurance companies tO impose lifetime caps on benefits, which could make seriously ill patients essentially uninsurable in the private market. LoriO and Michot also oppose a projected 35 % reduction over two decades in federal funding for Medicaid, which they fear would force states tO eliminate the programs that help parents ofdisabled children care for their kids at home. "They will be cutting offhis life support; ” Mich0t, 33 , says of Gabriel. "Without Medicaid, he would either be dead or institutionalized. ” SO onJuly 8 , Lori0 and Mich0t set 0ffin a bus んⅡ of wheelchairs and ventilators to Washington, where they joined more than 100 Other parents, patients and advocates for the chronically ill and disabled to pro- test the health care proposal. They were a motley trib e : Trump voters and ClintO n backers, children with oxygen tanks and adults with autism, experienced rabble- rousers and political neophytes. Some had never called their Senators' offces, much less showed up on their doorsteps. But tO- gether, these dedicated activists amount tO a powerful new constituency, one that is homegrown, bipartisan and mobilized behind a single issue: tO protect access tO federal health care benefits. This unlikely grassroots army is a key reason the Republican Party finds itself with few good options on health care, despite controlling b0th houses 0f Con- gress and the White House. As GOP law- makers attempt tO deliver on promises t0 repeal Obamacare and reduce federal entitlements, while simultaneously serv- ing constituents whO rely on those very programs, the result has been a series Of health care bills, first out ofthe House and now the Senate, that appear tO satisfy Ⅱ 0 one. The House bill, which passed in May, is the most unpopular legislation in three decades, according tO an MIT analysis Of public-opinion polls, receiving support from just 28 % ofvoters. The backlash led Senate majority leader Mitch McConneII t0 postpone a VOte on the Senate's version at the end 0f June. On July 11 he announced that the Senate would stay in session an extra tWO weeks intO August tO get the jOb done. The proposed revisions McConneII

TheBrief BYTHENUMBERS system. "The goal is tO catalog vulnerabilities in our election system; ” says J. Christian Adams, a Republi- can election lawyer on the panel. "TO get t0 the b0t- tom 0fa problem with evidence and data. " Opponents see another agenda. Foryears, GOP leaders have argued for election rules t0 safeguard elections that make it harder for people wh0 tend tO vote Democrat—especially poor minorities—to cast a ballot. The goal 0fK0bach's commission, says vanita Gupta, CEO ofthe Leadership Conference on Civil and Human R1ghts and a former head ofthe Justice Department's civil rights division, tO lay the groundwork forvoter suppression. Since 2010 , over 20 states have passed tighter voting restrictions. Under Kobach, 51 , Kansas has been particularly aggressive. The lvy League— educated lawyer and formerJustice Department offcial has pushed through statutes requiring that residents prove citizenship in order tO register and show a government-issued phOtO ID at the polls. (A conservative federaljudge struck down some ofthose restrictions last year, finding they had de- prived 18 , 000 Kansans oftheir rights. ) K0bach, wh0 recently announced a campaign for governor, even wrested prosecutorial powers from the state legis- lature t0 crack down on what he called an epidemic ofillegal voting. ln two years, he has convicted nine people for fraud. MOSt were 01der citizens with homes in tWO states whO mistakenlyvoted in bOth. Academic studies repeatedly shOW that election fraud is exceedingly rare. "The data show Ameri- cans are more likely t0 be struck by lightning than commit election fraud; ” says Rudy Mehrbani, senior counsel at the Brennan Center forJustice at New York University Sch001 ofLaw. And yet widespread fraud is received wisdom for some on the right. Election experts say the panel's approach is likely to yield large numbers offalse positives— voters flagged for possible fraud who did nothing wrong. That's what's happened with an interstate voter-registration directory Kobach champ ioned in Kansas. Known as Crosscheck, it compares voter rolls in 32 states tO turn up people registered ⅲ multiple place s. But the syste m has kinks. According t0 a 2017 study by researchers from Stanford, Harvard and Microsoft, it could stop 200 legitimate votes for every double VOte it prevents. V0ting-rights advocates, wh0 tend tO be Democrats, fear Republican lawmakers could use its findings t0 purge voters or pare back ballot access. "lt's about creating a narrative that the system is broken and the laws have t0 be changed' ” says Lorraine Minnite , whO studie s voting rights at Rutgers University. That's the case Trump himself has made. After the election, he tweeted angrily when the media didn't corroborate his claims that voter fraud was pervasive. NOW he's tasked K0bach with finding the evidence. TIME JuIy 24 , 2017 6 The true cost Of ransomware hacks TICKER U. S. military plane crash kills 16 U. S. officials are investigating the cause Ofa military plane crash that killed 16 service members when it plunged intO a field in rural Mississippi on 」 uly 10. A Marine Corps spokeswoman said the KC -130 Hercules aircraft "experienced a mishap" but provided no further details. Vatican clericfaces sex-assault trial Pope Francis' top financial adviseris tO stand trialin his native Australia on multiple charges Of "historical sexual assault offences. CardinaI George PeII, 76 , isthe most senior Vatican cleric tO face such accusations. He's duetO appearin a Melbourne courton 」 u Ⅳ 26. Brazil's ex-President sentenced toprison Former President Luiz 旧百 cio Lula da Silva was found guilty Of corruption charges and sentenced tO 9 % years in prison. Lula iS the most senior figure yettO bejailed as a result Otthe corruption scandal sweeping the country. ami saved by human chain Dozens Of beachgoers in Panama City, 日 a. saved a family Ofsix and four others from drowning byforming a human chain from sea to shore. The stranded swimmers had been swept from the shore by strong rip currents. On 」 u ツ 6 , tWO Of the world's largest consumer-goods companies detailed the financialimpact Of 」 une's Petya ransomware attack. SeveraIIarge multinationals were hit bythe virus linked tO Russian hackers, which crippled computers and disrupted ports. Here's hOW cyberattacks Of this kind have affected bottom lines. を Hit jn second-quarter sales growth claimed by MondeIez, maker Of 0 「 eo cookies and Cadbury chocolates, as a result Ofthe 」 une 27 Petya attack's disruptingthe company's shipping and invoicing capabilities. ー第も一 ON Estimated IOSS Of sales tO Reckitt Benckiser, the U. K. maker ofVeet and LYSOI, 引 SO resulting from the Petya attack; the company forecast a 2 % hit in revenue growth in the second quarter. Average ransom demanded in ransomware attacks 2016 , according tO cybersecurity firm Symantec, a 266 % increase from the year before. VERBATIM 'Dancefor me, boy!' CONOR MCGREGOR, MMA star, taunting Floyd Mayweather while promoting their upcoming Aug. 26 fight; his remarks were widely criticized as racially insensitive ロ

caid, which has grown to roughly 10 % of the federal budget, is necessary. Such reductions, Republicans say, will force states tO become more effcient, elimi- nate fraud and abuse, and serve the most deserving populations first. But health care experts say it will alSO compel states tO make some tough decisions. Federal law requires that all state Medicaid pro- grams cover certaln populations, like im- poverished children, disabled children and adults , mothers and the indigent el- derly ⅲ need 0f nursing-home care , and certain services, like hospital care. AS a result, states don't have easy ways tO cut large amounts 0f Medica1d spending with out targeting optional programs. That in- cludes one ofthe most expensive: the one that helps defray the cost of home aides and medical equipment that help severely disabled children and adults stay ⅲ their homes and communities, rather then being institutionalized. "lf you have a disabled child and Medi- caid has paid for a personal care atten- dant tO come tO your house SO your kid can get combed and bathed and you can have a shower—thatwill probablybe cut,' says Andy Slavitt, the former acting ad- ministrator Of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a federal health agency. "Which means a 10t more people will be institutionalized. ” Home and community care programs are, after all, very expensive, accounting for more than 25 % ofall Medicaid spend- ing over the past decade, according tO a 2016 federal government analysis. But they're alSO transformative for families caring for disabled family members and children. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health policy think tank, 44 % of kids with special needs across the U. S. rely on Medicaid or other public insurance through state programs like these. Both Lorio and Michot depend on Louisiana's Medicaid programs tO get the trach supplies, home health aides and medical equipment that allow their 4-year-old sons tO remain at home. NO politician wants tO be responsible for kicking sick kids out of their homes. But reductions in Medicaid spending will force governors tO make excruciating de- cisions, explains David Cutler, a health care economist at Harvard University. And that means excruciating choices: DO you cut services for children, or pre- 36 TIME July 24 , 2017 natal visits, or the amount paid for nurs- ing homes for the elderly? "State budgets are t00 strapped already; ” Cutler says. Congressional Republicans wh0 sup- port the Senate bill say they have created safeguards for some Of the most vulner- able populations. Those include exemp- tions for disabled people from needing to work in order tO receive assistance and a carve-out for blind and disabled children, which would allow them to avoid being subject tO certain limits on federal spend- ing. "That's awell-intentioned provision, but you have to read closely; ” says Meg Comeau, a director at BOSton University's Catalyst Center, which has analyzed the Republican health plan. WhiIe the description of the carve- out in the first Senate bill lacks detail, it will likely narrowly define what counts as a disability and may only 叩 ply to chil- dren whO qualify under the stringent in- come standards of the federal disability program. lt's possible, for example, that both John Paul Lorio, who has Medicaid coupled with other optional state-based programs, and Gabriel Mich0t, wh0 has private insurance through his father's em- ployerbut also receives Medicaid-funded optional programs even though his family is above the income limit, could see the services they receive scaled back, elimi- nated or made more expensive through cost-sharing measures. Patients and advocates are also alarmed by the GOP's proposal to allow insurance companies tO reinstate the lifetime cover- age c 叩 s thatwere banned under the ACA. Without thatban on lifetime caps in place, people with complex medical needs who are covered by private insurance could blowthrough the limit on how much their insurers will pay after a prolonged stay at 'Seeing the diffculties that familie s are go ing through really fortified my belief that I was dOing the right thing. ' DAN DONOVAN, Republican Congressman from New York, who voted against the GOP health care bill in the House the hospital, leaving them essentially un- insurable for the rest Of their lives—un- less they reduce their income enough tO qualify for Medicaid. Take Timmy Morri- son, for example. He was born on Sept. 29 , 2010 , with a rare genetic condition called Opitz G/BBB syndrome, six days after the ACA's ban on lifetime caps went into ef- fect. He spent six months in the NICU, racking up a bill ofmore than $ 2 million, according tO his mother, Michelle Morri- son. IfTimmy had been born six months earlier, the $ 1 million cap on Morrison's employer-based insurance policy would have le 代 him without coverage halfway through his NICU stay. Some parent-advocates have seen the GOP stance on health care as a reason t0 question their party identity. Alison Chandra, who considered herself a Re- publican because 0f the party's position on abortion, finds it hard tO square that value for life with the GOP health care proposals. "l've always seen it as very black and white, like the RepubIicans are pro-life and l'm pro-life, so I guess l'm a Republican; ” says Chandra, 33 , a former pediatric nurse in New Jersey Whose son Ethan, 3 , has heterotaxy, a rare condition that caused him tO be born with nine con- genital heart defects, two le 仕 lungs and five spleens. While Chandra and Ethan are covered under her husband's employer- based insurance, the return Of lifetime cap s would render Ethan virtually unin- surable. His care has already cost almost $ 2 million injust three years. "The party that would have crucified me for aborting my child nowwants t0 make it impossible for me t0 keep him alive; ” she says. So Chandra has added political ac- tion intO her daily routine Of c aring for Ethan. "Here's my list: call the insurance company, call Congress, and then call the pharmacy and get the prescription re- filled' ” Chandra says. "We've been fight- ing since the moment we heard our kid's diagnosis, since the moment they were born. This is just a regular day for us. Pastor James Brigman Jr. is taking that fight on the road. On July 7 , he set out from his home in Rockingham, N. C. , with water, a Bible and pictures 0fhis daughter Lauren Faith, 9 , who has cerebral palsy and uncontrollable seizures. lt will take him almost two weeks to walk the roughly 350 miles to Capitol Hill to ask his Senators—Republicans Thom Tillis and