Regardless of your political party affiliation, health care is important to all of us. Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is not perfect, it provides coverage for many people without health insurance and offers additional benefits to those of us on Medicare and with other insurance. Repealing ACA and defunding Medicaid will abandon people with life-threatening illnesses as well as the elderly, the disabled, and children. The top 1 percent would get an average tax cut of $33,000. The bottom quarter of Americans would see their taxes go up. In western North Carolina, our working families, the elderly, and the disabled depend on Medicare for All. Our rate of Medicare recipients is about 30 percent higher than the national average.
The ACA made permanent the Indian Healthcare Improvement Act. If ACA is repealed, this could jeopardize funding for Indian Health Service which would impact tribal members. Our North Carolina legislators want to repeal ACA and do not want Medicaid expansion. It’s time for us to stand together and ask for Medicare for all in western North Carolina. The NC 11 Coalition invites everyone to join them April 23 for a district-wide Town Hall and Rally on the front lawn of the Haywood County Courthouse at 285 North Main Street in Waynesville from 3-5pm. Mark Meadows has been invited to attend. For more info, go to www.bit.ly/NC11TownHall.
Mary Herr
Cherokee, NC
