As a pastoral counselor and mental health provider, I have seen how the unaffordability of health coverage creates barriers for too many of my parishioners and patients, blocking them from getting the physical and mental health care they need. Without health coverage, illnesses are ignored and treatment is delayed until the person is so sick they end up in the emergency room — or even worse, the morgue.

As someone who proudly served our country, I have been particularly distressed to see veterans and their families without health coverage. There are 30,000 uninsured veterans, 12,000 who fall into the Medicaid “coverage gap,” and 23,000 of their family members who also don’t have access to health insurance in North Carolina. People in the “coverage gap” are ineligible or earn too much income for Medicaid coverage, but too little to get financial help for online marketplace plans.

Not all veterans are eligible for VA health care, and many come back home with complex mental health issues and inadequate means to address them. Without health coverage, sometimes there is no way to help them. This has contributed to the continuing epidemic of suicides amongst our veteran population.

We can support our veterans by closing the Medicaid coverage gap, and making sure they can access the mental health services they need to reduce these horrific suicide rates. Help for mental health issues should neither be stigmatizing or difficult to access, but instead encouraged and made accessible to those who need it most.

Of course, not just veterans are suffering because they have fallen into the coverage gap. Too many of our brothers and sisters lack access to preventive care and treatment, and have to worry about how they will pay their medical bills if they get sick or have an accident.

We must also do right by them.

This is the year. This is the time. We must do more than thank our veterans for their service. They and their families have made tremendous sacrifices. They have kept their word. Let us do our part and keep ours.

Orlando Dowdy

Pastoral counselor

Durham