Guest Column:

Let’s hold Heller to his word on health care

Thu, Jun 22, 2017 (2 a.m.)

“Do I believe that

all Americans

should have access to health care? Absolutely, I do.”

I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. Who uttered those words? Sen. Dean Heller. He was speaking at a town hall meeting a few months ago, where he also said, “I think we ought to embrace what’s good in the Affordable Care Act.”

Again, I couldn’t agree more with Sen. Heller. And there is a lot that’s truly great about the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Because of the ACA, the percentage of people in Nevada without insurance dropped 40 percent in just two years.

Because of the ACA, 1.2 million Nevadans with pre-existing conditions like asthma, diabetes and cancer have access to affordable, comprehensive coverage that actually covers their health care needs.

Because of the ACA, women pay the same amount as men for the same coverage. Prior to the legislation, women in Nevada were charged as much as 45 percent more than men.

Because of the ACA, millions of Nevadans have guaranteed access to free preventive care, like blood pressure screenings, immunizations and cancer screenings

And because of the ACA, nearly 200,000 Nevadans are covered by the state’s expansion of Medicaid.

The Medicaid expansion extended health coverage to lower-income Nevadans who hold down jobs that are the backbone of the state’s economy—from fast food workers to home care attendants to construction workers to cashiers. If Republicans in Congress have their way and repeal the ACA, these hard working Nevadans will be left out in the cold.

The Culinary Union fights every day for working men and women in Nevada to be treated with dignity and respect. Union workers can feel secure knowing they have excellent union health insurance: The bellman who greets guests when they arrive in our city; the guest room attendant who cleans the rooms; the bartender who mixes the drinks and the cocktail waitress who serves them up; and the waiters and food runners who serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner – these members of Culinary Union know they have access to quality care when they need it.

Don’t all Nevadans deserve the same piece of mind? I believe our state’s policymakers have an obligation to ensure everyone has access to quality, affordable, accessible health care.

Earlier, Gov. Brian Sandoval once again stood on the right side of history. As the first Republican governor to commit to expanding Medicaid, he reaffirmed his steadfast support of the program and called on Congress to preserve Medicaid expansion.

We need Sen. Heller to do the same. He must stand up for the working families in our state who toil every day to make ends meet and do everything they can to take care of their families.

Let’s hold Sen. Heller to his word — everyone should have access to health care — and that means voting against any bill that will result in anyone losing coverage.

Geoconda Arguello-Kline is secretary-treasurer of Culinary Union, which represents over 57,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in downtown Las Vegas.

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