The Pennsylvania Health Access Network is urging lawmakers against repealing the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion, saying it would intensify the state’s opioid abuse epidemic.
“The opioid epidemic is devastating families across Pennsylvania,” said Pennsylvania Health Access Network Executive Director Antoinette Kraus. “Congress’s plans to repeal the ACA without a replacement will leave them out in the cold.
The advocacy group points to recently released data from the Harvard Medical School that shows as many as 131,000 Pennsylvanians receiving substance abuse treatment could lose health care coverage if the ACA and Medicaid expansion are repealed.
Dane Pagonis is a recovering alcoholic who says he never got the treatment he needed until he was able to get care through the insurance he received from the exchange.
“I think I’ve made a lot of progress, a lot of awesome progress and I’m really worried that I might lose it all if I lose the support that I had,” said Pagonis, who started class at Penn State University this week.
Kraus said the state can’t afford to send Pagonis back to a time when he couldn’t get the coverage he needed.
“So we’re urging Congress to preserve funding … it helps people have the tools and resources they need to stay well.”
The group and its supporters contend a repeal could have an impact beyond those individuals who lose coverage.
Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania Vice President Alyssa Schatz said the affordable Care Act requires that insurance plans on the exchange offer mental health benefits on par with physical health benefits, which seems to set a standard for commercial health plans, as well.
“This is huge for getting people into treatment early; and getting people into treatment early is critical to long term success,” Schatz said.
Schatz said repealing the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion without providing an alternative for those with substance abuse disorders is “irresponsible and reckless governance.”
“Playing politics with our health care and our lives is unacceptable,” Schatz said. “These actions have real consequences.”
