The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often rendered as ACA or “Obamacare” (like the term “muckraker” for investigative journalist,” it was originally intended as an insult, but was embraced by the subject) was much disliked by many people under that name. Oddly enough, when asked about specific elements of Obamacare, many of those same people liked many of its provisions. (Also oddly, many people said they liked ACA but hated Obamacare, not realizing they were one and the same thing.)

Now that the Congress and the White House are led by people who have vowed to repeal and replace Obamacare, and what they would like to replace it with have been delineated, Obamacare has actually grown more popular in opinion polls, finally reaching the 50 percent mark, while the replacements are disliked by overwhelming majorities.

While the most popular provision of ACA was guaranteeing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, another fairly popular one mandated coverage for “essential benefits,” including mental health and substance use disorder treatment. As the media reminds us, we are in the midst of an addiction and overdose epidemic involving opioids: prescription drugs such as oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and fentanyl, as well as heroin.

Unfortunately, prescription drug addiction is not one-and-done. It takes time and treatment to control addiction, and many – maybe most – addiction experts believe you can never cure addiction. Just last year actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died from a drug overdose. He had gotten his addiction under control years earlier, but he had a relapse. Maybe he tried to get help again at a drug rehab, maybe he had an underlying mental problem – a co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis – that prevented the drug treatment from lasting.

Drug rehab isn’t just a frill, an option. It’s as necessary as a doctor to deliver a baby. A midwife can often do the job, but there are some complications that only an experienced doctor is aware of or knows how to handle.

The same applies to substance use disorder rehab treatment. Locking yourself in a room until you go through withdrawal can sometimes work, but there can be fatal consequences. Just this month actor Nelsan Ellis (True Blood, Elementary) died of heart failure while trying to detox from alcohol on his own.

The ACA guaranteed substance use disorder treatment, but too few people were aware of or took advantage of it. The replacement bills so far proposed would weaken that guarantee, saving money by offering the states’ grants to use as they decide. Maybe they would continue to fund these programs, or maybe they would decide to use it for other needs – or more worthy ones; drug addicts are weak and to blame for their problems, right?

(No, actually. The best evidence now suggests that addiction is a chronic condition to which some are more susceptible, possibly in part due to genetics. Not everyone can eat sugary foods without developing diabetes.)

Prescription drug addiction treatment is underfunded even under the ACA. It’s not time to cut it further.