Health plan falls short of nation’s care goals

Despite high premium costs for some, the Affordable Care Act gave health care access to over 15 million Americans and saved many lives. The American Health Care Act goes way beyond repealing the ACA; proposing to phase out Medicaid expansion, leave people with pre-existing illness unprotected, and put preventive care at risk by eliminating the Public Health and Prevention Fund, and federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

The new plan would hurt seniors and people who are sick the most. Our emergency rooms would be flooded with even more sick people unable to get care elsewhere. Furthermore, this bill would eliminate Medicaid coverage of psychiatric and substance use disorders.

As a community psychiatrist, it is terrifying to imagine the grave consequences this will bring, not only for the mentally ill, but also for their families, friends and future generations of low- and middleincome Floridians. This is the last thing Florida needs when it already ranks 49th in provision of mental health services and as Miami struggles with a horrific crisis of opioid overdoses. This bill falls far short of our goal to provide equitable, affordable, high-quality health care and puts the coverage of millions at risk. We urge our representatives and senators to oppose it. Carissa Caban-Aleman, Miami, Doctors for America member