Proposed Healthcare Act changes could threaten diabetics

Dear editor,

Congressman (Matt) Gaetz is playing games with the lives of over 30 million Americans suffering from diabetes. Please write to him to make sure we do not go backward instead of forward. Let's make America great again, remember.

My concerns about the American Health Care Act include allowing states to apply for waivers for certain (Affordable Care Act) provisions such as a ban on insurers charging premiums based on pre-existing conditions and the requirement that insurers' basic health plans cover certain services.

I am also concerned about the tax credit proposal, proposed changes to Medicaid, the continuous coverage premium penalty and cuts to funding for diabetes prevention programs.

This bill is disastrous and will result in coverage being prohibitively expensive for those most in need of it. A poll released this week by the Washington Post and ABC News found that 70 percent of Americans want pre-existing conditions to be protected nationwide, and not be left up to each state.

The proposed tax credits in the American Health Care Act are significantly weaker than the current structure in the ACA, particularly for middle and working class Americans. While the bill may lower premiums for some who are currently in good health, it would likely increase costs and provide less coverage for people with diabetes, particularly in states that waive coverage for the requirements.

In addition, the changes proposed to Medicaid are particularly alarming and could have a huge negative impact on low-income individuals and families affected by diabetes.

Adults with diabetes are disproportionately covered by Medicaid. In Medicaid expansion states, more individuals are being screened for and diagnosed with diabetes than in the states that did not expand. Diagnosing the disease at an earlier stage and offering effective interventions is a key step in preventing or delaying the progression to complications of the disease.

Any ACA replacement plan must ensure continuous availability of coverage regardless of a person's circumstances. Therefore, the proposed continuous coverage premium penalty is of particular concern to me as it ignores the fact that some people experience a lapse in coverage because they simply cannot afford it, not because they choose to not have insurance.

STANLEY HARPER

Milton

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This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Proposed Healthcare Act changes could threaten diabetics