This Memorial Day, we are reminded of the many servicemen and servicewomen who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. Honoring those who have fallen includes making sure their family members and fellow service members have all of the resources and help they need when they return home.
Over the past year, however, those in Washington, D.C., have relentlessly tried to whittle away at the health care infrastructure that's critical to the well-being of our veterans.
[What the new VA health care bill means for Alaska's veterans]
When most Americans think of veterans' health care, they think about the VA. But many veterans either do not meet VA eligibility requirements or have health needs that the VA does not entirely cover. About 1 in 10 veterans use Medicaid as their primary source of health care, and many more use Medicaid to supplement the care they receive through the VA. The Affordable Care Act provided funding for states to expand Medicaid, drastically improving health care for these veterans. In fact, a recent study found that this expansion led to a 42 percent decrease in uninsured vets between 2013 and 2015.
However, this can't be taken for granted. Health care repeal attempts have sought to cut Medicaid funding by nearly $1 trillion, threatening care for nearly 77 million Americans who rely on the program, including 2 million veterans. In Alaska, the American Health Care Act passed by House Republicans included cuts to Medicaid that would have put hundreds of Alaska veterans at risk of losing coverage.
[Alaska VA plans to boost staff by nearly 100]
Furthermore, up to 8 million veterans who qualify for VA health care choose not to use it as their primary source of care because of long wait times and lack of complete coverage. Restructuring Medicaid in a way that would limit veterans' care would flood the unprepared VA with new patients at a time when the department is already overloaded and worsen health care prospects for veterans who rely on its services.
Many veterans return from service with extensive physical and mental health care needs that lead to costly medical bills, in large part because of what they sacrificed for our country. Under federal health care repeal proposals, insurance companies would have once again been able to deny someone coverage or charge them more for services that treat issues like injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. The veteran population would not be exempt from these changes.
As a nation, we pride ourselves on how we treat our veterans, and honoring those who serve has long been a point of bipartisan agreement. Over the past year, health care repeal has threatened to betray nearly 2 million veterans who have risked their lives for this country. We must honor their service and sacrifice by working to improve our health care system so all our veterans have access to quality, affordable health care.
Joelle Hall is a veteran, retiree wife and the mother of two. She lives in Peters Creek.