Oklahomans on Obamacare share how its repeal would affect them

Jan. 14--Sabine Brown didn't expect to start something when she posted on Facebook, sharing her concerns about the impact a repeal of the Affordable Care Act would have on her family.

But one status turned into more people sharing their stories, and that turned into a group of Oklahomans going to Sen. James Lankford's Oklahoma City and Tulsa offices on Thursday to share with the congressman's staff how a repeal would affect them.

At Lankford's Tulsa office Thursday, Brown and about 15 other Oklahomans talked with his staff about their concern of a repeal.

"At the end of the day, repealing the Affordable Care Act kicks millions of people off of their health insurance," Brown, 38, of Bixby, said. "I don't think anybody is saying there aren't improvements to be made -- but fix it. Don't throw out the whole system, and leave people without care."

Lankford has long been a proponent of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, citing concerns over the rising cost of health care and coverage.

He has pointed to the fact that Oklahoma will see an average increase of 76 percent in the cost of premiums for plans available through the federal exchange in 2017. There is only one insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, offering plans in the state.

"It's important that this new Congress fulfill the promise to repeal the law, and replace it with a better model," Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, said in a statement. "We must craft a health care replacement plan that provides a smooth transition from the current Obamacare exchange to a much stronger, more sustainable system that gives patients more control over their coverage. We do this with the goal in mind of doing no harm to current enrollees as the transition occurs."

Unknowns cause anxiety

In the coming weeks, as President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House, Congress is expected to act on a repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The Senate already has taken the first step to repeal the law also known as Obamacare, in a 51-48 vote Thursday. The vote approved a budget resolution that would make it easier to repeal the legislation.

While there has long been opposition to the act among Republicans, there is no consensus on how to replace it.

Gov. Mary Fallin and other Republican leaders have argued the Affordable Care Act was an attempt to force states to adhere to costly reforms, such as Medicaid expansion, and they've argued the law imposes significant taxes on families and businesses.

Oklahoma is one of about 20 states that did not expand its Medicaid program, which would have provided health insurance coverage to 140,000 adults, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit health policy organization.

However, under the Affordable Care Act, 192,000 Oklahomans have gained coverage, and the state's uninsured rate has dropped from about 19 percent in 2010 to about 14 percent in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The unknown of how long that coverage will be available -- along with the other protections in place under the health care law -- continues to cause anxiety for Oklahomans who have benefited from coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

For Brown, it has given her the peace of mind that her husband could receive coverage without fear of being denied based on a pre-existing condition.

The Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

Brown's husband Eric, 38, is an emergency medicine physician, working in Tulsa. He's also a childhood cancer survivor.

When Eric Brown was in medical school, before the Affordable Care Act, he found out he could no longer be covered on his parents' insurance.

Because of his pre-existing condition -- the cancer he had been cured of since about age 9 -- he wasn't able to get coverage.

"It was a really strange situation to have someone in medical school who couldn't get health care coverage for himself," Sabine Brown said.

They finally found a plan, but the deductible was high, and the monthly premium was expensive.

If the Affordable Care Act were repealed, and insurance companies could once again deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, the Browns worry about what that would mean for Eric.

"If he were to ever lose his job, and the Affordable Care Act was repealed, we would be in a really unique situation of having a physician who was uninsurable," Sabine Brown said.

Affordable care through tax credit

Anna Holloway was desperate to find out what was wrong.

Without reason, her mouth started to dry out. It was so severe that her tongue would stick to the bottom of her mouth, and she couldn't open her lips.

At first, she didn't have health insurance.

Months went by until finally, an opportunity came: the federal health insurance marketplace.

In 2014, Holloway was able to purchase health coverage through the marketplace, created through the Affordable Care Act.

"And as soon as I had health insurance, I went to a doctor," said Holloway, 59, of Norman.

Holloway was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes disease-fighting cells to attack various organs, most notably the glands that produce tears and saliva, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Over the past two years, Holloway has been able to see her primary care doctor and specialists, and her doctors have found effective ways to treat the disease.

However, Holloway worries how the impending repeal of the Affordable Care Act will affect her coverage.

Holloway is one of 140,100 Oklahomans who have signed up for coverage for 2017 through the federal marketplace.

She is able to afford her coverage, thanks to a tax credit that covers most of her premium: $78 per month for Holloway and her 23-year-old daughter Evan.

Without the subsidy, the coverage would be more than $1,000 each month.

Holloway said this tax credit has been crucial for her and her daughter.

And if the Affordable Care Act were repealed, and she had no coverage option, her quality of life would quickly plummet, she said.

"My medication will go from about $15 a month to about $600 a month, and I will stop buying it, and I will stop taking it," Holloway said. "And then the disease will be unmanaged. At this point, I make too much money to qualify for SoonerCare or any of the assistance programs."

Holloway works four part-time jobs -- a program director at Phillips Theological Seminary, an editor for academic articles and dissertations, a part-time preacher and a historical researcher for Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre.

She makes a yearly income of about $25,000 before taxes.

Without her medicine, her body would essentially be unable to produce fluids, and her organs would eventually dry out, she said.

"It's a grim and ugly way to die," Holloway said.

Staying on parent's insurance

Also under the Affordable Care Act, young adults won the right to stay on their parents' insurance policies until age 26. About 29,000 Oklahomans have used this option.

Taron Pounds, 27, of Tulsa, said being able to stay on his father's insurance has been crucial for him over the past few years.

"I would have half of a face right now if it weren't for the Affordable Care Act," Pounds said.

In 2012, Pounds was in the midst of lighting a professional-grade firework when it lit unexpectedly and exploded.

After the explosion, Pounds had a hole in his face that extended to the back of his throat. He almost died on the way to the hospital.

Over the past four years, Pounds has undergone 30 surgeries by at least eight surgeons. And his recovery is not complete, as he still needs thousands of dollars in dental work.

Today, Pounds is blind in his left eye, and he can't breathe through his nose. He has trouble standing for long periods because his surgeons used part of a bone in his left leg to repair his face.

Overall, Pounds, a self-employed musician and student, and his family have spent thousands of dollars on his medical care -- even with him receiving coverage from his father's Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma plan and receiving Medicare and Medicaid coverage through his disability benefits.

Blue Cross has allowed Pounds to stay on his father's insurance plan because of Pounds' disability from the accident.

However, he worries not only about what the repeal of the Affordable Care Act would mean for his coverage, but also how Congress might choose to reform Medicare and Medicaid.

Without coverage, Pounds' recovery would stop.

"Coming up on five years of surgery, and suddenly I'm stuck in the final phases (of recovery)," Pounds said. "... I want to get back to having a normal life, not having to bandage up my face every time I go out in public, not dealing with waking up in the middle of the night, gasping for air because I accidentally closed my mouth. I'm dealing with way more issues than being scared of how I look."

Contributing: Capitol Bureau Chief Rick M. Green

___

(c)2017 The Oklahoman

Visit The Oklahoman at www.newsok.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.