CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Health care advocates are celebrating the 8th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act while working to keep the law in place.
“The ACA has been under constant attack and a threat of dismantle for the past year. The need to protect the ACA is critical to West Virginia’s future,” said Chantel Fields, executive director of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, during a Monday celebration event at the state Capitol.
ACA recipients, like Janice Hill, of Parkersburg, were among those who attended the event. Hill said her daughter has been battling a rare cancer for years. She said the ACA has provided her with the health insurance coverage she needs, but it’s unknown if it could be taken away from her.
“My daughter is one step away from not having any insurance. She has been able to maintain her very fabulous job, but we don’t know how long she’ll be able to do that,” Hill said.
President Donald Trump has worked to potentially repeal the law, also known as Obamacare.
Advocates say the law has provided nearly 250,000 West Virginians with affordable health insurance.
“West Virginia’s uninsured rate dropped from 29 percent to 9 percent among our adults,” Field said.
About 98 percent of West Virginia children are covered with health insurance now, according to Fields.
Hill said these numbers mean real people are getting the help they need.
“These are not statistics, although I love hearing how many people have been affected in their lives. I love hearing those numbers, but they’re real people. They’re your friend,” she said.
Dan Foster, former state senator and physician, said Monday the ACA and Medicaid expansion has dramatically improved access to treatment and recovery services for drug addicts.
“The loss of that could have implications that are incredibly concerning for the rest of the state,” he said.
Foster said his patients benefit from the ACA.
“We know that people who don’t have coverage come in late, don’t get care that they need until the situation is dire often times,” he said.
West Virginia, overall, needs a healthy workforce, Foster said.
“We cannot have a healthy economy in West Virginia without healthy people and the Affordable Care Act is a driver of that economic development tool,” he said.
Gary Zuckett, executive director of the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, noted the ACA is not perfect. He said he knows changes need to be made, but the law should not be repealed and replaced.
“It should not be a partisan issue,” he said. “We need to work together to continue the gains made so far until we truly provide health care for all.”
The ACA was signed into law by former President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010.