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Valley rallies in defense of Affordable Care Act
By Sean Barron
Whether they peacefully marched near one of the Mahoning Valley’s major hospitals or sat around a table and talked, participants’ worries were the same: Repealing the Affordable Care Act without offering a replacement will be detrimental to millions of Americans.
“I was diagnosed 21/2 years ago with ALS. It has a lifespan of two to five years. If it wasn’t for Medicare and other provisions, my family would be bankrupt,” a tearful Christine Terlesky explained during a 90-minute roundtable discussion Sunday afternoon at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, which was led by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Cleveland, D-Ohio. “It’s very cavalier to take away benefits from those who need them.”
Terlesky, 43, a former Boardman High School government teacher, was diagnosed in October 2013 with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects nerve cells in the spinal column and brain. She shared her emotional story with several dozen patients as well as a variety of medical, dental and mental-health professionals at the gathering.
Preceding the roundtable discussion was a march Sunday outside of Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren to call attention to what participants see as the need to protect people’s health care coverage and stand against proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Both events were part of a National Day of Action under the monikers “Don’t Make America Sick Again” and “Our First Stand: Save Health Care.”
Taking part in the march were the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative and the Ohio Women’s Action Network, along with numerous community members and advocates, faith leaders and others.
One of the estimated 100 people who marched was Raymond Vershum of Canfield, who recalled that a neighbor died in her 50s about eight years ago from an asthma attack before passage of the ACA, also known as “Obamacare,” and because she was unable to afford health insurance due to a pre-existing condition. As a result, she did not visit the emergency room to receive treatment, he said.
“I believe wholeheartedly she would have survived if she had the Affordable Care Act,” Vershum continued while acknowledging that President Barack Obama’s health care law isn’t perfect but has provided a safety net for millions.
Sounding that tone was U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, who said adjustments and fixes should be made to strengthen the law instead of repealing it altogether – especially since hundreds of thousands of Ohioans would otherwise be unable to afford coverage.
For eight years, many Republican lawmakers have talked about how they want to “rip it up and shred it,” a move that would hurt countless numbers of people, said Ryan, who gave a presentation on the topic at Calvary Presbyterian Church on nearby Laird Avenue after the march.
The peaceful grass-roots rally also was to voice objections to plans to privatize Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. In addition, repealing the health care law would provide a large tax cut for the top wealthiest 1 percent, said Karen Zehr, an Ohio Women’s Action Network member and an event organizer.
“They’ve voted over 50 times to repeal it,” Zehr noted. “So, with all of that energy, where is the [replacement] plan?”
Further damage from repealing the ACA likely would entail greater difficulty for many people to obtain mental-health services, which would lead to an increase in crime and incarceration rates, noted Marcia Dinkins, another march organizer.
Other detrimental effects would include fewer people – especially those who are disenfranchised and marginalized – seeking preventive services, an increase in the number of bankruptcy filings because of increased medical costs and an uptick in illnesses, which also can lead to job loss, Dinkins explained.
“You’ll start seeing people’s health deteriorate, and guess what? Our community deteriorates,” she added.
The concerns regarding repealing the ACA were the same at the roundtable discussion, at which Brown talked about the deleterious consequences for many of the estimated 30 million Americans, including about 900,000 Ohioans, who could lose all or most of their coverage.
Efforts to reduce the Valley’s infant-mortality rate, one of the highest in the state, continue, but doing away with the ACA would lead to a decrease in the number of women seeking care for themselves and their babies, said Dee Traylor, a social worker who oversees a program for pregnant women. Before Obamacare, many women hadn’t sought prenatal care, she told attendees.
For some senior citizens on fixed incomes, prescription-drug costs would skyrocket from about $700 to $3,600 without the ACA, warned Joe Rossi, the Area Agency on Aging 11’s executive director.
If the law is repealed, other services such as Meals on Wheels and programs to help older people stay out of nursing homes could be adversely affected, said Rossi, who added that plans to privatize Medicaid likely would mean cuts for many.
Those with good health care coverage are more likely to take measures to keep their blood pressure, diabetes and other medical problems under control, which means they also have a greater likelihood of staying employed, said Joe Caruso, executive director of Compass Family and Community Services.
Similarly, the ACA has given many area residents a way to get screened regarding chronic illnesses and have access to needed services, something that could reverse itself if the ACA is repealed, explained Patricia Sweeney, Mahoning County’s health commissioner.
Elaine Smith, a health care navigator, explained that many people, including those with low-wage jobs, fear searching for a plan because they think their coverage will be taken away.
“It’s troubling because it really is working,” Smith said.
Others at the table talked about how they feel Obamacare also has allowed many people to receive vital preventive and primary care. In addition, those with the coverage have been better linked to valuable resources and a continuum of care.
“These stories really, really have an impact,” said Brown, who urged participants to continue with their activism as they seek to get the attention of lawmakers.
Terlecki, the former teacher who was diagnosed with ALS, said she worries about what could happen to those who have to face a diagnosis of the disease and other unexpected maladies.
“Aren’t we supposed to take care of our most vulnerable, not search for ways to give tax breaks to those who don’t need it?” she asked.