Letter to the Editor: Expanding affordable health coverage would help lives of many

If we don’t have our health, the other things don’t matter.

I was on a certain medication, and I went to get a refill at the pharmacy. At the counter, the cost was $600. I had to find myself an alternative. I was able to do that because I’m retired military. I went to the pharmacy on base and got the same medicine for free. Unfortunately, there are many people who look like me, who came from the same types of situations as me, who are seeking to make sure they are able to maintain their health just like me, but they do not have an option like the base.

I know I’m not alone. People from all walks of life are struggling to afford the high cost of health care in this country.

Far too many are forced to make impossible choices between accessing lifesaving prescription drugs or putting food on the table or paying rent. Millions of people in places like Florida, Texas and Georgia are locked out of affordable coverage because of state leaders’ refusal to expand Medicaid. Others are just struggling to afford health care premiums and are delaying or forgoing essential care because of cost. And our nation’s seniors and people with disabilities are still denied vision, dental and hearing coverage.

In Delaware, as many as 31% of residents reported that they did not fill a prescription due to cost. Polling has shown that 80% of Delawareans are concerned about the cost of prescription drugs.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

That’s why I recently joined the nationwide Protect Our Care bus tour in Dover, to demonstrate the urgent need for lowering health costs, expanding coverage and reducing racial inequities in care.

In the coming weeks, President Joe Biden and members of Congress have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally take action to transform health care for millions of Americans. President Biden and Democrats like Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., are working to give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices and close the Medicaid gap, so millions of uninsured Americans can gain coverage, expand Medicare benefits to include hearing, dental and vision, and further reduce premiums for millions of Americans purchasing coverage on their own.

These policies would make a world of a difference for people like me but also for countless working families, seniors, people with disabilities and communities of color.

As lawmakers work to secure these measures in upcoming budget reconciliation legislation, it is our job to make our voices heard and support elected officials who are prioritizing our health care. At the same time, we must hold our elected officials accountable for choosing to stand with Big Pharma and other special interests, rejecting policies to improve care and lower costs for the American people.

If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s that health care must be a right, not a privilege. There has never been a more urgent time to lower health care costs and expand coverage, and it’s imperative that Congress enacts these provisions this fall to give us much-needed relief — it’s not only smart policy, it’s the right thing to do.

The Rev. Dr. John G. Moore Sr.

United Way of Delaware

Wilmington/Dover