Prior to the Affordable Care Act about a decade ago, Middletown Township Supervisor Anna Payne lost her health insurance because she reached the coverage cap for care under her mom’s insurance.
During that time, Payne, who has been vocal about her battle with cystic fibrosis, was forced to ration life-preserving medications that she needed.
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Payne, a 32-year-old Democratic township supervisor who works in county government, noted that her monthly bill for medication is about $50,000 before insurance. The medication she takes helps her survive with cystic fibrosis, a disease that can severely impact the lungs and digestive system.
She worries that a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare or the ACA, could make managing the rare disease with no cure impossible.
Credit: PA Internet News Service
“My life has revolved around health insurance coverage. It is life or death for people like me,” she said during a Tuesday morning event discussing the importance of preserving the ACA outside the Bucks County Administration Building in Doylestown Borough.
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The event came in the shadow of an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case that could end important protections that allow people like Payne to get health insurance. With a lack of a replacement or repair bill, the end of the ACA as it has been could spell trouble for many Americans who previously could not qualify for insurance or get it at a rate they could pay.
“The idea that coverage could be taken away from so many people makes me sick,” Payne said, adding that striking down the law could make her “just a liability on an insurance company’s spreadsheet.”
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Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said more than 5 million of the state’s 12.9 million residents with pre-existing health conditions could lose coverage.
A study by the Urban Institute a few years back estimated close to 48,000 Bucks Countians could lose coverage if the ACA ended.
“I will continue to do everything in my power to protect the health and safety of Pennsylvanians, as well as their right to affordable and accessible health care coverage that does not penalize or discriminate against those who have pre-existing conditions,” Wolf said.
Credit: PA Internet News Service
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The governor noted that COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of health care services that are affordable.
“The Affordable Care Act is currently under threat at the federal level, putting access to health care at risk for millions of Pennsylvanians,” said State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, a Democrat from Lower Makefield. “It will be up to us on the state level to protect Pennsylvanians and ensure they continue with the coverage they have basic and critical coverage. The Pennsylvania Senate Democrats have been promoting four key bills that would do just that. It is time to put the health of all Pennsylvanians first, and pass this important legislation.”
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State Rep. Wendy Ulman, a Democrat from Plumstead Township, worried that President Donald Trump’s administration could end the “entire protective structure of the Affordable Care Act.”
“The ACA has offered protections to whole populations who previously hadn’t been able to get insurance due to pre-existing conditions. COVID-19 has taught us that many people with preexisting conditions are those who are most vulnerable to complications, hospitalizations and fatal outcomes if they become infected with the virus. They are our parents, our grandparents, our friends, our children, and ourselves. We must preserve the protections of the ACA for the citizens of Pennsylvania,” she said.
Credit: PA Internet News Service
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The president has said a number of times in recent months and weeks that he would unveil a replacement plan for the ACA, but he has yet to release one to the public. He also has promised to preserve protections for people with preexisting conditions.
Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, who represents all of Bucks County, has previously said he supports retooling parts of the ACA. He voted against a Republican plan that ultimately failed in 2017.
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CNBC reported that Democrats have worked to make the potential end of the ACA a key push for the 2020 election.
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