Congressman should not support ACHA

I've lived in Naperville for the last 24 years. Having worked in the field of mental health and substance abuse/domestic Violence, I am very disturbed that my congressman, Randy Hultgren, voted for the American Health Care Act.

Through huge cuts to Medicaid, the Republican plan will severely restrict the ability of Illinois to address our mental health crisis and opioid epidemic. I have no intention, for the sake of many people in this district who so desperately need these services, to return to the pre-Affordable Care Act days. Does Congressman Hultgren not remember a time when parents with no insurance had no way of getting the help they needed for their dependent children suffering from addiction? Or when hard working, low income adults who suffered from mental health and substance abuse could not seek the treatment they needed due to lack of heath care?

We know that over 358,000 uninsured Illinoisans with mental health and substance abuse disorders gained coverage through the Affordable Care Act, nearly 200,000 through Medicaid expansion alone. The ACHA aims to get rid of Medicaid expansion and without it, thousands with mental health conditions will become more disabled by their illness and return to Medicaid permanently - sicker and eventually more costly to treat.

And without access to treatment, we end up in a cycle of hospitalizations, institutionalization, justice involvements, homelessness, joblessness and inevitable tragedy. With his vote, Congressman Hultgren took us closer to the days when families with no coverage had to make the heartbreaking choice between bankruptcy or seeking treatment for a loved one.

Adequate health care is vital to each and every one of us as members of this community. I urge Rep. Hultgren to find the courage to do what is right for the people of his district.

Bernadette Chopra

Naperville