The Affordable Care Act is saving lives across South Carolina — and we must fight to save it
As we celebrate and reflect upon the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., I am reminded of King’s declaration in his 1966 speech on health care that “of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
King’s statement is why I have often referred to the Affordable Care Act as the Civil Rights Act of the 21st century. I do so because the Affordable Care Act takes several steps to make health insurance accessible and affordable for all, and it outlawed discrimination by health care providers and insurers against Americans — including people with pre-existing conditions.
Currently almost 2 million South Carolinians have a pre-existing condition. If the Affordable Care Act did not exist, these South Carolinians would face coverage denials, higher premiums, extended waiting periods and limited benefits. They were the citizens we had in mind when the Democratic majority in Congress enacted the Affordable Care Act, which was signed by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010.
President Donald Trump’s administration is doing all it can to sabotage the Affordable Care Act. It has implemented administrative changes to undermine enrollment by cutting the sign-up period by half. It recently gutted the advertising budget by 90% and significantly reduced grants used to employ navigators to help citizens enroll.
Despite these roadblocks South Carolina’s enrollment increased in 2019, thanks to herculean efforts by the South Carolina Hospital Association, the state chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons and many other grassroots organizations.
Recently President Trump declared, “I was the person who saved pre-existing conditions in your health care.” In reality the president’s statement is a lie that obscures his efforts to advance injustice in health care.
Trump supports the Republican-led lawsuit by several states, including South Carolina, that challenges the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act; recognizing the inhumane nature of their position, these states have shockingly asked the Supreme Court to delay ruling on the case until after the November election.
Given that more than 200,000 South Carolinians get their insurance through the marketplace and 80 percent of them receive federal subsidies, the consequences of dismantling the Affordable Care Act would be dire for many.
If the act is dismantled:
▪ More than 95,000 South Carolina seniors will pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare “donut” hole would return, costing them $1,182 more annually on average for their medications.
▪ Lifetime benefit limits would return and insurers would no longer be required to cover preventative care like flu shots and regular check-ups.
▪ South Carolina hospitals would be saddled with $511 million in uncompensated care, threatening more rural facilities.
A majority of South Carolina’s political leaders have sought to sabotage the Affordable Care Act by failing to accept a return of South Carolina taxpayers’ money to expand Medicaid — denying coverage to nearly 379,000 residents in the process.
Those of us who believe that access to quality affordable health care is a fundamental human right will continue to fight every effort by President Trump to deny health care coverage to all — and to obfuscate who and what we are as a nation.
Rep. James Clyburn represents South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, and serves as the House Majority Whip.
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 9:48 AM.