Over the past few weeks, the current administration has begun discussions and set the wheels in motion to change policies related to healthcare that could have detrimental effects on the livelihood of our state and local communities.
It’s imperative Congress takes into consideration the effects a repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) would have and recognize the numerous ways the ACA has improved the lives of citizens from all walks of life in our nation’s cities large and small, urban and rural, including in San Diego County.
Repealing the ACA will have devastating effects on our local community and threaten the health of the people and communities we both serve.
Patients for the first time in a long time now have access to comprehensive primary, preventative and behavioral health services regardless of preexisting conditions resulting in a better quality of life for individuals, families and our communities. Locally, removing the ACA would mean about 370,000 residents in the county would lose health coverage. Without the ACA residents may no longer have viable options for health coverage and become uninsured.
This would also result in a decrease in health care jobs, another benefit the ACA has provided community health centers to improve our state’s healthcare infrastructure. Since the implementation of the ACA, San Ysidro Health Center has seen an 8.5 percent increase in the number of patients to over 92,000 and an increase in jobs within the organization as well. San Ysidro Health Center serves as the primary care provider to more than 53,800 people who have gained coverage through Medicaid since 2014, and the uninsured rate has been cut by 22 percent, dropping from 52 percent to 30 percent.
Health centers are considered providers of high quality, cost effective health care and patient-centered care and are integral members of the regional health care safety net. However, without health coverage provided by the ACA, the number of uninsured residents would go up, employment opportunities in health care would diminish and the decrease of resources would result in an undue burden on our local hospitals and an increase in uncompensated care costs. All effects of repealing the ACA will be most notable at a local level and will affect residents in vulnerable communities who need essential health services the most.
It’s important elected officials, community members, and leaders in the health care industry come together to help defend the health care system that we have built together. We share a responsibility for the health and well-being of our communities and we ask Congress to build upon and not tear down the progress that has been made for individuals and families across the nation and locally.
Casillas Salas is mayor of the city of Chula Vista. Mattson is president and CEO of San Ysidro Health Center.
