MANSFIELD — This Friday marks the eighth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act being signed into law by former President Barack Obama.
Ben Frech, Ohio spokesperson for “Protect Our Care,” met with a few members of the Mansfield community Monday to gauge their thoughts on the city residents’ access to healthcare and Medicaid.
DeWayne Lee, vice president of operations and director of AOD Services for Healing Hearts Counseling Services, said the ageny, which is a behavioral health and wellness center, accepts Medicaid, noting, “Medicaid is probably 90 percent of our payer.”
“We have a lot of people who are successful and do great (while receiving treatment), but once they get through the program and get a job, they lose their insurance,” Lee said. “I mean, they’re the working poor. They tell me all the time, they can’t afford insurance.”
He said oftentimes either their place of employment doesn’t offer health insurance or it’s too expensive.
“That’s a reality for many people,” he said. “Even people who are just above being able to qualify for Medicaid.”
He estimated that the agency provided approximately $25,000-worth of services “pro bono” last year because it didn’t turn anyone away who couldn’t afford healthcare.
Pastor Walter Jordan with Oasis of Love Church indicated that his congregation isn’t immune to healthcare woes.
One gentleman who had been employed with the steel mill for 30 years had planned on retiring, but ended up continuing to work, Jordan said
“Once he retired, the steel mill wouldn’t pay any of his medical insurance so he had to keep working,” Jordan said.
According to Policy Matters Ohio, 900,000 more Ohioans have insurance than before the ACA because of the financial assistance for marketplace coverage (premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions and the expansion of Medicaid).
Frech said there are attempts to “dismantle” the ACA. This was seen last year with the failed attempt to repeal the ACA in a 49-51 vote in the Senate.
“(Governor) John Kasich has been such a leader on Medicaid expansion,” Frech said. “Despite what your political leanings are, at least we still have that right now in Ohio.” Last summer, Kasich vetoed a budget provision that would freeze new Medicaid expansion enrollment.
Lee said he wishes Kasich was sitting in the Oval Office right now.
“He does the right thing and doesn’t care what people say,” he said.
Mansfield City Councilman-at-large Don Bryant said Mansfield is a high-poverty community, calculating that over 35 percent of residents live in poverty.
“People need access to quality healthcare, and it’s not fair that we have government, people in power, who want to scale back that access to healthcare,” he said. “There needs to be something in place permanently to protect people who don’t have access to healthcare.”
