Ohioans can't afford to lose the Affordable Care Act

From the counselor who provides a lifeline to isolated patients struggling with substance use disorder, to the nurse who holds the phone for their COVID-19 patient while they say goodbye to loved ones, Ohio’s health care workers are Ohioans demonstrating great acts of selflessness and compassion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed by President Barack Obama and Congress more than a decade ago, is an indispensable piece of policy, not only providing the care Ohioans need, but supporting one of the most critical industries in our economy.

With over 210,000 Americans dead — including almost 5,000 Ohioans — and almost 28 million out of work, we are still fighting to protect peoples’ health care. The president’s Supreme Court nominee opposes the ACA and the Republican-led Senate is barreling toward a rapid confirmation. A lawsuit to dismantle the ACA — supported by the Trump Administration — awaits her arrival on the bench. It could cause roughly 23 million people to lose coverage and eliminate essential consumer protections, including those for people with preexisting conditions; requirements for insurers to spend premium dollars on patient care; and mandates that insurers cover prescription drugs, mental health care, and other essential health benefits.

The ACA supports good Ohio jobs

If health is the first wealth, then the ACA has done more to build wealth in Ohio than any public policy in 50 years — possibly more. The ACA expands health care access to about 857,000 Ohioans, easing financial stress from medical debt, restoring health and enabling self-sufficiency for hundreds of thousands. Today, 196,806 Ohioans have health insurance through the ACA’s federal marketplace, which helps families earning up to four times the poverty level, and 660,345 have health coverage through the ACA’s Medicaid expansion to cover working people living just above the poverty line, as well as people with disabilities and caregivers.

Read more: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2020/10/13/ohioans-cant-afford-to-lose-the-affordable-care-act/