Thompson holds town hall in Vallejo to discuss possible Obamacare repeal

Feb. 11--As the existence of the Affordable Care Act is argued in our nation's capitol, life without health insurance would mean a stressful and costly existence for many Vallejo citizens.

To help quell residents' fears, Rep. Mike Thompson of California's Fifth District hosted a town hall meeting Friday at the Florence Douglas Center in Vallejo.

The popular event drew more than 200 people who turned out to hear Rep. Thompson, Senator Bill Dodd and a wide panel of healthcare professionals address fears some might have following the possible repeal of the ACA.

"If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, a couple things are going to happen right away," Thompson said. "About 22 million people are going to lose their coverage. Also, about three million jobs will be lost across the country. Three-hundred and forty thousand of those lost jobs will be from here in California. So this is not only about saving lives, but about saving jobs and our economy as well."

After breaking down the numbers of the potential impacts of a repeal, one of the first topics discussed was the concept of consumers being denied affordable medical care due to having a "pre-existing condition," which was removed from our healthcare system with the implementation of the ACA.

Many in the room Friday shared concerned about the often-debilitating label of having a "pre-existing condition" that would return if the ACA is repealed.

"There's a lot of people here my age, maybe a couple a little older, who know that once you hit about 60 years of age, you become a pre-existing condition," Thompson mused. "There's a lot of women here, too. You also know, sadly, that in many cases being a woman was a pre-existing condition. That was patently unfair. ... It is no secret we need to improve the Affordable Care Act, but we need to keep it"

Dodd was up next, using parts of his time to address the current status of the ACA battle in state legislature.

"We're looking at it from the human perspective," he said. "Like you, we have so much at stake here. Our neighbors are on this program, people we know and love are on this program. From the fiscal standpoint, California has to look at this with some real serious eyes and we're doing that."

Dodd continued, explaining California could lose 20 billion dollars if the ACA is repealed, which represents roughly 18 percent of the state's general funding.

"There is no easy way to make up $20 billion by raising revenues in this sate," Dodd said. "It's a really big deal for the people we represent. As Californians, we are all in this together. We are here for you and the state legislature is fighting on your behalf."

Next up were panelists Francis Spruit, who shared his personal struggle with lung cancer and how the ACA helped him afford recovery; Jane Garcia of La Clinica De La Raza, who spoke about the security and quality of life ACA gives to the patients who attend the five clinics in California's Fifth District; Kelly Green with Covered Carolina, who aimed to squash any confusion about the need to enroll for the ACA in 2017; and Julie Bates with AARP, who expressed her discontent with the "repeal and replace" philosophy promoted by Republican leaders.

"We are at a critical time in history where basic public health structures are under severe threats," Bates said. "One of the thing I'm seeing now out of D.C. are these things called vouchers in regards to Medicare. Medicare is a benefit you and your employer pay for from the first paycheck to your last paycheck. The proposals to turn medicare into a voucher system would take healthcare into precisely the wrong direction by pushing up costs and eroding protections Americans have earned throughout their many years of hard work and taxes."

After the panelists were finished, the floor was open for questions from the public.

One woman, who proudly sported a growing baby bump, told the group she was considering applying for a teaching job and needed to know soon if she was still going to have access to the independent market in 2018.

Kelly Green took the reigns for this answer, explaining that Coverage California is currently still negotiating with stakeholders and plans to develop 2018 benefit designs. She added, however, that the policies could change within the coming weeks or months.

Other hot topics brought forth for the panel were ensuring affordable access to birth control for all women and the ballooning costs of drug prices.

Thompson assured the crowed that he is "100 percent" with women on the birth control issue and is fighting right now in congress to preserve Planned Parenthood.

As for drug prices, Thompson drew on personal experience with the Veteran's Assistance program to point out the absurdity of the current situation.

"I take a cholesterol drug. After the first prescription I got from the cardiologist, my wife said 'Did you know this prescription was $97?' I said I needed it and just and signed up. Later, I called the VA, and now I get the same medication prescription for $2. If the VA can negotiate drug prices with that kind of savings, there's no reason in the world why our federal government isn't demanding the same prices."

The Healthcare Town Hall meeting in Vallejo is the first of four planned events across the district.

The next meeting will be held 2 p.m. Feb. 18 at Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Chamber in Martinez and is open for all to attend.

Matthew Adkins can be reached at 707-553-6833.

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