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The Indiana Democratic Party teamed up with doctors to share stories about the impact the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, has had on Hoosiers. The partnership aims to rally support for the ACA, as it heads to the Supreme Court shortly after the election.
Dr. Vidya Kora practices in LaPorte County and was one of the speakers. He said he’s seen great improvement in preventative care since Hoosiers gained access to the Healthy Indiana Plan, or HIP 2.0., which expanded Medicaid through the ACA.
Kora said allowing people access to health care makes them more likely to seek out preventative care. He told the story of a former patient, who avoided preventative care for severe hypertension. Kora said the patient went into kidney failure, and eventually had to get dialysis. The patient then had to get a kidney transplant, and this year, died from COVID-19.
He said he’s some of his diabetic patients put off preventative care because of lack of access to health care, which can be dangerous.
“But with the availability of insurance, they were able to come see physicians, they were able to see dietitians, and they were able to buy medications, and insulin, which you all know is expensive,” he said.
Kora said numbers are important to look at, but it’s the human stories that help figure out how to make the system better. Kora said the current ACA, while it may not be perfect, is a starting point that can be improved.
The doctors at the event championed the ACA because they say it has helped millions of Hoosiers gain access to health insurance.
Contact reporter Bárbara at banguiano@lakeshorepublicmedia or follow her on Twitter at @radiospice219.
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