LETTER: Countless Alaskans have benefited from ACA

To the editor:

Alaska is famous for our majestic mountains, our endless summer sunshine, and more than a handful of interesting characters. We’re also well known for ranking high on lists that no one wants to rank high on. We have the highest rate of suicide per capita in the country. We have the highest rates of sexual assault. We’re ranked number one by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when it comes to the cost of alcohol abuse. These are ugly blemishes on an otherwise beautiful state.

I’ve been a mental health nurse for 30 years. Before the Affordable Care Act, tens of thousands of Alaskans with mental health issues did not get the care they needed. Just a few years ago, a patients with a schizophrenia diagnosis was likely to be unable to obtain individual health insurance in our state. We had no state or federal regulation prohibiting insurance companies from discriminating against patients based on their pre-existing conditions. For those who were accepted for coverage by insurers, premium rates could be hiked up drastically, and more than one-third of available plans didn’t even cover mental health treatment. At least one in five American adults experience mental health issues at some point in their lives.

The ACA may not be perfect, but countless Alaskans have benefited from its provisions addressing mental health care. If we ever want to fix our “ugly blemishes,” we need to make the mental health of Alaskans our priority. Gutting the ACA without a plan for replacement leaves far too many of our friends and neighbors without the care they desperately need. I hope Congress realizes that real lives are at stake here - and that we can’t afford the deadly consequences of a vote done in haste.

Arlene Briscoe,

RN-BC Mental Health Nurse

Vice President, Alaska Nurses Association