Please tell us how you, your family or your community has benefited from Medicaid coverage for dental care, vision care, and transportation assistance: Cancer screening rates have improved dramatically in our patient population since the ACA was implemented. Control of hypertension and diabetes A1c rates have likewise improved as the most vulnerable population in our state has had access to basic primary care in the last 4 years. As these most vulnerable again become disenfranchised, it is my belief that our state will once again drop to 50th place in every clinical measure that is evaluated on a national level.

Please tell us how eliminating these benefits would affect you, your family, or your community: Dental and vision cannot be separated from “physical health”….if the goal is to have folks return to work, then proper/healthy dentition is vital, as is the ability to see well. In addition, lack of consistent diabetic retinal screening can lead to blindness in patients with diabetes. Transportation to both PCP offices and specialists offices for basic primary preventive care, as well as cancer screening such as mammography and colonoscopy, are vital in saving lives. Overall healthcare costs will rise on the backside as Medicaid patients become disenfranchised from basic primary care and preventive screenings.