Hungarland: The Affordable Care Act – more popular than ever! Hungarland: The Affordable Care Act – more popular than ever!

At the end of January, a story on The Roanoke Times website reported that more people had signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known by some as Obamacare, than ever before, 14.5 million Americans. In Virginia, the number was 34,762. That happened for several reasons.

At the end of 2020, ACA enrollment numbers were going down because there was a gap between the cost of plans and what people in middle income brackets could actually pay. Then the American Rescue Plan was passed, which increased premium tax credits for people who had incomes too high for Medicaid but too low to pay for the plans they needed. Since then, the Biden administration has also extended the enrollment period and worked to get the word out about these changes.

It's important for people to understand why this coverage gap existed. If you have a medical condition which requires expensive medications and regular visits to specialists, you can't choose the inexpensive plan that a person who only needs health insurance in case they get sick or have an accident might choose. You need comprehensive, high-quality, regular care. But those plans are more expensive, and the program did not take into account the kind of care you needed. Before the American Rescue Plan, the tax credits were based only on what you earned.

Millions of adult Americans actually fall into this group. It's not a small subset of the population. They work full time, but their employers don't provide health insurance, and they need care for chronic illness or disability. People may not want to talk about it because they feel ashamed, but clearly the current boom in signups shows that people want and need health care, and they will sign up for it if it is provided at a cost they can afford.

I'm a member of the State Governing Board of Virginia Organizing. We have been working for universal health care for many years, including the ACA and Medicaid expansion in Virginia, for just this reason. With the 12th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act this month, we want to see these increased premium tax credits in the American Rescue Plan extended permanently.

As we enter the third year of the pandemic, the need for quality, affordable health care is more evident than ever. Studies have shown that a significant portion of people diagnosed with COVID-19, anywhere from 10% to 50%, will experience some form of "long COVID." These COVID long-haulers struggle with mobility, breathing, and other health challenges for months or years after the initial infection. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, premium tax credits are giving people access to the high-quality health insurance they need to recover fully from the virus, maintain employment, and care for their families. We have no reason to think this support won't be needed in the future. Now is not the time to end such an effective program; instead, we must make these premium tax credits permanent.

As a member of the board, I recently attended a meeting with Sen. Tim Kaine. Members from Petersburg, Wytheville and Richmond asked him about extending these tax credits as well as other health care issues like lowering prescription drug costs. Senator Kaine said he supports extending the tax credits and regulating the cost of medicine, and he believes that Congress will eventually pass these measures this year. They were included in the Build Back Better plan, but now, he says, many of those funding reforms will be broken into separate reconciliation bills.

Since that meeting we have held rallies in Wythe County, Norfolk and Spotsylvania, and President Biden highlighted the importance of lowering prescription medication costs in his State of the Union address. Clearly, this is a high priority for most people.

Congress should include these life-saving provisions in their reconciliation bills. If they don't, many of these 14.5 million people will lose their health care. At a time when American businesses claim that they are desperate for workers, I would hope that everyone could agree that this measure is necessary so that people stay as healthy as they can and able to take care of their families.

Lily Hungarland is a middle school history teacher in the greater Richmond area. She grew up in Danville, where she became a member of the Danville Chapter of Virginia Organizing and a leader in working for health care for all.