As congress takes its first steps to repeal the Affordable Care Act, many are worried about their health care.
Critics of Obamacare have long said they want to do away with the mandates, rising premiums, subsidies and penalties.
Lawmakers are split on what to replace it with.
Still, signups continue in the Kansas City metro. In Wyandotte, a repeal could hit hard.
Many days, Norma Ruiz's life consists of hurrying from one doctor's appointment to the next. It's hard, but she's just glad to have a doctor, something she didn't have before Obamacare.
"From then on I've been gradually getting better and getting better services," Ruiz said.
She has a thyroid condition, ENT problems, colitis, bipolar disorder and had cataract surgery. All went under-treated because she and her husband couldn't afford health insurance.
"I was dependent on free clinics," Ruiz said. "It's like you had to beg people to give you something you can't pay for."
Ruiz got help at the Community Health Council of Wyandotte County.
"There's been a lot of talk about how unaffordable it is, and for some families it is, but for some people it's not," Molly Moffett said. She helps people with insurance through the Health Council's 'Enroll Wyandotte' program.
"Some people can get a really awesome plan at a pretty good price," said Moffett.
Norma pays just over $100 a month, and receives tax credits.
Enroll Wyandotte helped cut Wyandotte County's uninsured rate in half with Obamacare. Nearly 20,000 people like Norma could be at risk now that the ball is rolling to repeal the program.
What will go in its place - unknown. Subsidies for low-income folks and Medicaid is up in the air, too.
President Trump is promising insurance for everyone. Other Republican lawmakers introduced a preliminary plan that would let states decide to keep Obamacare or not. It would also extend coverage for preexisting conditions and people under 26 on their parents' plan.
"The plans we've seen to replace look a lot like the ACA, with some tweaks. I really hope it doesn't negatively impact our families," Moffett said.
Wyandotte County consistently ranks last in health out of all Kansas counties. It came in last in 2016. It is also one of the poorest counties in the state.
Moffett says under the ACA, they were just starting to get people to regularly visit the doctor, and don't want a change or delay in health insurance to disrupt that momentum.
"They're getting treatments before they get bad. Without [Obamacare] folks are going to stop doing that, and wait until they're really sick, and it's more expensive for everyone involved," Moffett explained.
Norma is almost 65, so she'll qualify for Medicare. A repeal could affect that program as well.
She has a message for congress: "How many hoops are we going to have to jump through before we can get proper medical health care?"
The deadline to sign up for 2017 coverage is Tuesday, January 31.
Plans are set in place for the year, so most likely people won't have to worry about any changes until 2018.
For questions on the ACA, you can call the Community Health Council of Wyandotte County at 913-371-9298.
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Sarah Plake can be reached at Sarah.Plake@KSHB.com
