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Despite a win for the ACA, many Memphians still fear for the future of health care

Commercial Appeal - 8/8/2017

Aug. 08--When it comes to health care, you would think that Walter Smith would be set for life.

Smith, 67, served in the military in the 1960s, and is covered through the Veteran's Health Administration. That care not only saved him from alcoholism and obesity, but put him on a path to wellness so that he could live -- not just exist.

"The VA system has pulled me back from the brink of death," said Smith, who said he almost died a few years ago in an emergency room.

Through the VA, Smith received the advanced surgery he needed to reconstruct his stomach. He lost 155 pounds, and he now walks about six miles a day.

He also hasn't had a drink in seven years.

But when Smith told his story at a recent town hall forum held by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, his voice had a tinge of anxiety.

He still has concerns.

"I'm worried that the current regime would like to pull the (VA) coverage out from under us," said Smith, who opposes any privatization of the VA system, as the Trump administration has pushed as a solution to some of its woes.

"I am terrified of the direction of the country, and I worry about them taking away our health care."

Anide Francis, 28, also has worries.

Francis, a graduate student at Harding University, is working part-time. Her husband's job, while it pays more than minimum wage, doesn't offer health insurance. So they buy health insurance through Humana on the ACA exchange, and with an advance payment premium tax credit.

But Humana is leaving the health care marketplace in Tennessee next year, and the fate of the tax credit is uncertain.

That means that Francis' premiums could soar from $100 to $600 a month.

"The tax credit is what's making health care affordable for us," Francis said. "So, I'm worried right now ... I'm worried that we're going to be stuck with premiums that we can't afford.

"It's really frustrating that two college-educated, working people can't afford health care ..."

What is clear, at least from Memphians like Smith and Francis, as well as hundreds of others who came to the town hall, is that despite the recent nail-biting Congressional vote that spared the ACA from devastating cuts by way of a "skinny repeal," health care continues to keep many people up at night.

Some people expressed relief. Many others, though, expressed anxiety.

That shouldn't be.

People shouldn't have to worry about something that is so essential to their lives, or to have a quality of life that allows them to live out their potential.

Smith, who served in the military, shouldn't be worried whether his health care will be subjected to the wild experimentation of privatization.

Francis shouldn't have to worry about whether high health premiums will force her to have to rely on her parents to afford them.

But these worries also explain why there continues to be so much activism and passion around health care -- because whether the fight is to improve the ACA or the VHA, many people are beginning to realize the importance of the government playing a role in supplying health care to everyone.

People now see that health care is not just a commodity to be purchased, but a necessity for the common good.

So, despite the worries, many continue to be intent on having their voices heard. Many are emboldened in their fight to keep health care. Because now, they see that it's doable.

And there's no turning back.

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(c)2017 The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.)

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