Washington, DC — As Democrats maintain their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and ahead of the House Leadership Election where Nancy Pelosi is running uncontested for Speaker of the House, Protect Our Care issued the following statement:
“Speaker Pelosi is a true health care champion. In her time as Speaker, she has been leading the fight to make sure Americans can access affordable health care,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “We have Speaker Pelosi to thank for the passage of the Affordable Care Act, and since then she has worked tirelessly to block Republican sabotage of the health care law and expand its protections. With continued threats to the ACA and the coronavirus crisis continuing to careen out of control, we look forward to Speaker Pelosi’s proven health care leadership.”
“Americans are tired of Republicans’ decade-long war on health care, and no one is a better choice to lead the Democratic caucus in building on the foundation of the Affordable Care Act to improve American health care than Speaker Pelosi,” added Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “Protect Our Care knows as Pelosi continues her historic speakership, her leadership and her commitment to health care are what we need to move forward. She is a strategic leader who will continue to lead the charge to protect and expand Americans’ health care.”
The fate of Americans’ health care and control of the U.S. Senate hang in the balance of Georgia’s two runoff Senate races on January 5. Incumbent Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue have made their position on health care crystal clear. Since taking office, both have been relentless in their attacks on health care. Now, they are supporting Trump’s lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to do what Republicans couldn’t accomplish legislatively — completely overturn the Affordable Care Act. If successful, the lawsuit would rip health care from more than 20 million Americans, remove protections for more than 135 million people with pre-existing conditions and throw our entire health care system into chaos in the midst of an ever-worsening pandemic. Georgians can’t trust David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler on health care.
Washington, DC — In response to President-elect Joe Biden’s selection of Ron Klain as White House Chief of Staff, former Health and Human Services global Ebola coordinator and Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:
“While serving as the Ebola response coordinator for HHS, I worked with Ron Klain every day as we battled a global pandemic. I saw firsthand his deep grasp of policy, his strategic skills, his ability to get results and his dedication to the American people. Ron is an outstanding public servant, and he has the deep knowledge and invaluable skills needed to make America a more perfect union. President-elect Biden’s selection for White House Chief of Staff demonstrates how seriously he cares about this country and his commitment to steering the country forward through this public health crisis.”
U.S. Senate Candidate Jon Ossoff, Elected Leaders, Legal Experts and Health Care Advocates Sound the Alarm on Trump-Republican Lawsuit to Terminate the ACA During COVID-19 Crisis
Washington, DC — With the Affordable Care Act under threat this week in the Supreme Court, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Governor Tony Evers (D-WI), Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN), U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff (D-GA), U.S. Representatives David Price (D-NC-04), Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01) and Chris Pappas (D-NH-01) along with other elected officials, legal experts and health care advocates joined Protect Our Care for 14 events nationwide to discuss the danger of California v. Texas — the Trump-Republican lawsuit to terminate the health care law. On Tuesday, November 10, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the lawsuit that could overturn the entire ACA, rip health care away from over 20 million Americans and end its protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions — all as the ongoing COVID-19 crisis continues to escalate across the country.
ALASKA Monday, November 9, 2020 — Alaskan Health Care Advocates Discuss What’s at Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Monday, ahead of oral arguments in California v. Texas, a case that, if successful, would overturn the entire Affordable Care Act, ending its protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions and ripping health care away from more than 20 million Americans, Alaskans Mark Regan, Jessica Cler, Meda Dewitt, and Jason Lessard participated in a virtual roundtable to outline the potential risk to Alaskans health care if the Supreme Court were to overthrow the Affordable Care Act. You can watch the roundtable here.
ARIZONA Tuesday, November 10, 2020 — U.S. Representative Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01), Health Policy Experts, and Advocates Discuss What’s At Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Tuesday, with oral arguments in the Trump administration’s lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act underway, Congressman Tom O’Halleran joined Protect Our Care Arizona and health care advocates to discuss what is at stake for Arizonans’ health care. Congressman O’Halleran and others criticized Republicans for failing to present a health care plan of their own while relentlessly working to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. You can watch the event here.
Coverage
Tucson Weekly: The Range: Arizonans Watching Closely as Supreme Court Takes Up ACA
Prescott eNews: Arizonans Will Be Watching Closely When Supreme Court Takes Up ACA
KPNX NBC12: Gilbert Family That Depends on Obamacare on Edge as It Goes Before SCOTUS
Tucson Sentinel: Arizonans Watching Closely as Supreme Court Takes Up Obamacare
COLORADO Monday, November 9, 2020 — Colorado Health Care Advocates, Policy Experts Discuss What’s at Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Monday, as the Supreme Court prepared to hear oral arguments in the Trump administration and Republicans’ lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, Protect Our Care Colorado was joined by health policy experts joined Colorado Protect Our Care to discuss how the Trump-Republican lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate Coloradans’ and rip health coverage away from millions of Americans in the middle of a public health emergency made worse by the Trump administration’s failure to confront the crisis head-on. You can watch the event here.
Coverage
Colorado Times Recorder: Colorado Health Policy Experts Defend ACA Amid GOP Lawsuit to Kill It
The Denver Channel: Denver Woman Diagnosed with Cancer Says Repealing the Affordable Care Act Jeopardizes Her Future
GEORGIA Tuesday, November 10, 2020 — Jon Ossoff, U.S. Representative-Elect Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA-07) and Concerned Georgians Discusses What’s at Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Tuesday, during the Supreme Court oral arguments regarding the future of the ACA, Jon Ossoff, Congresswoman-elect Carolyn Bourdeaux, Laura Colbert, executive director for Georgians for a Healthy Future, Erika Meyer, who works in infectious disease epidemiology at Emory, and Janel Green, a Decatur mother, joined Protect Our Care Georgia for an event at Liberty Park Plaza to discuss how the Trump-Republican lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate Georgians. Watch a recording of the event here.
Coverage
AP: Ossoff Condemns GOP Attempt to Ax Health Care Law
Decaturish: U.S. Senate Candidate Jon Ossoff Criticizes Attempt to Overturn the Affordable Care Act
WXIA (NBC): Georgia senate candidate Jon Ossoff attends rally to defend Affordable Care Act
IOWA Monday, November 9, 2020 — Iowa State Rep. Marti Anderson Joins Progress Iowa, Iowa Citizen Action Network and Protect Our Care Iowa to Discuss What’s at Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Monday, ahead of the Supreme Court oral arguments of California v. Texas, which will determine the future of the ACA, Iowa Rep. Marti Anderson, Sue Dinsdale, Executive Director of Iowa Citizen Action Network, and Matt Sinovic, Executive Director of Progress Iowa joined Protect Our Care, Progress Iowa, and Iowa Citizen Action Network for a press call to discuss how the Trump-Republican lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate Iowans and rip health coverage away from millions of Americans in the middle of a public health emergency made worse by the Trump administration’s failure to confront the crisis head-on. Listen to the recording here.
MAINE Tuesday, November 10, 2020 — State Sen. Ned Claxton, State Rep. Donna Doore, Discuss What’s at Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Tuesday, during the Supreme Court oral arguments regarding the future of the ACA, Senator Ned Claxton, Representative Donna Doore, Marie Follayttar from Mainers for Accountable Leadership, and Wayne St. Peter, who received life-saving treatment with the ACA, joined Protect Our Care Maine to discuss how the Trump-Republican lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate Mainers and rip health coverage away from millions of Americans in the middle of a public health emergency made worse by the Trump administration’s failure to confront the crisis head-on. Listen to the recording here.
WLBC (NBC): The Affordable Care Act Goes to the Supreme Court
WMTW (ABC): Mainers Concerned As Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over ACA
MICHIGAN Tuesday, November 10, 2020 — Michigan Health Care Advocates, Policy Experts Discuss What’s at Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Tuesday, with oral arguments in the Trump administration’s lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act underway, health care advocates and policy experts joined Protect Our Care Michigan to discuss how the Trump-Republican lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate Michiganders and rip health coverage away from millions of Americans in the middle of a public health emergency made worse by the Trump administration’s failure to confront the crisis head-on. You can watch the roundtable here.
Coverage
WXMI (FOX): Health Care Advocates Urge Supreme Court to Leave Affordable Care Act in Place
WWMT (CBS): Michigan health care advocates fight to protect Affordable Care Act
WXMI (FOX): Arguments Begin on Affordable Care Act
WLNS (CBS): Local Officials Fear Impact If ACA Is Struck Down
MINNESOTA Monday, November 9, 2020 — Minnesota AG Keith Ellison and Andy Slavitt Join Protect Our Care to Discuss Trump-Republican Lawsuit to Terminate the ACA Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN), former Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt and Andy Pincus, who has argued more than 30 cases before the Supreme Court, joined Protect Our Care to discuss California v. Texas, the Trump-Republican lawsuit to terminate the Affordable Care Act. Tomorrow, November 10, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the lawsuit that, if successful, would overturn the entire ACA, rip health care away from over 20 million Americans and end protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions — all during the worst public health crisis in a century. You can watch the event here.
Coverage
MinnPost: What’s at Stake for Minnesota in the Affordable Care Act Case Before the Supreme Court
KTOE Radio: Ellison Urges Supreme Court to Uphold ACA as Justices Hear Oral Arguments
KBRF Radio: Ellison Opposes GOP Push to Strike Down ACA
Washington Times: Democrats Say Supreme Court Needs to Keep Election Results in Mind When Hearing Obamacare Case
KXRA Radio: Ellison Opposes GOP Push to Strike Down ACA in Supreme Court
Minnesota News Network: Ellison Urges SCOTUS to Keep the ACA as Justices Hear Oral Arguments
Perham Focus: MN AG Ellison, Others Implore SCOTUS to Uphold Affordable Care Act
MONTANA Tuesday, November 10, 2020 — State Rep. Mary Ann Dunwell and Judy Shannon Discuss What’s at Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Tuesday, during the Supreme Court oral arguments regarding the future of the ACA, Representative Mary Ann Dunwell (HD 84) and Judy Shannon joined Protect Our Care Montana to discuss how the lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate Montanans and rip health coverage away from millions of Americans in the middle of a public health emergency made worse by failures to confront the crisis head-on. Listen to the recording here.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Tuesday, November 10, 2020 — U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (D-NH-01), State Sen. Thomas Sherman, Lucy Hodder, Director of Health Law and Policy Programs at the University of New Hampshire, Dr. Patrick Ho, President of the New Hampshire Psychiatric Association, Discuss What’s at Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Tuesday, during the Supreme Court oral arguments regarding the future of the ACA, Rep. Chris Pappas joined legal and medical experts for a virtual press conference to discuss how the lawsuit before the Supreme Court to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate Granite Staters and rip health care coverage away from millions of Americans in the middle of a public health emergency made worse by the Trump administration’s failure to confront the crisis head-on. Watch a recording of the event here.
Union Leader: NH Obamacare Advocates: Expect Chaos If Supreme Court Strikes Down ACA
Concord Monitor: As Supreme Court Takes Up Affordable Care Act, Advocates Warn How Repeal Could Affect New Hampshire
NORTH CAROLINA Monday, November 9, 2020 — U.S. Representative David Price (D-NC-04), State Sen. Natasha Marcus, Stacy Staggs Discuss What’s at Stake for Health Care Ahead of ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Monday, ahead of oral arguments in the Trump administration’s lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, Congressman David Price, Senator Natasha Marcus, and Stacy Staggs joined Protect Our Care North Carolina participated in a press call to discuss how the Trump-Republican lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate North Carolinians and rip health coverage away from millions of Americans in the middle of a public health emergency made worse by the Trump administration’s failure to confront the crisis head-on. You can listen to audio of the press call here.
PENNSYLVANIA Tuesday, November 10, 2020 — U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Pennsylvania Health Access Network and Health Care Advocates Discuss What’s at Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Tuesday, during the Supreme Court oral arguments regarding the future of the ACA, Senator Bob Casey, former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and health care advocates joined Protect Our Care Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Health Access Network for a virtual press call to discuss how the Trump-Republican lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate Pennsylvanians and rip health coverage away from millions of Americans in the middle of a public health emergency made worse by the Trump administration’s failure to confront the crisis head-on. Watch a recording of the event here.
Coverage
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Supreme Court Justices Question Affordable Care Act Mandate, Yet Seem Willing to Leave Health Law Intact
90.5 WESA: Obamacare Is Before the Supreme Court, But Health Care Is Still Available
KDKA (CBS): Supreme Court’s Affordable Care Act Decision Could Impact Millions Of Pennsylvanians
WHYY (PBS): ‘It’s A Paralyzing Fear’: More Than 1 Million in Pa. Would Lose Coverage If Affordable Care Act Is Overturned
SOUTH CAROLINA Tuesday, November 10, 2020 — State Rep-Elect Deon Tedder, CNN Contributor Bakari Sellers, Health Care Advocates Discuss What’s at Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Tuesday, as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Trump administration’s lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, CNN Contributor Bakari Sellers, State Rep-Elect Deon Tedder, and The Rev. Dr. Jeremy Rutledge joined Protect Our Care South Carolina to discuss how the Trump-Republican lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate South Carolina and rip health coverage away from millions of Americans in the middle of a public health emergency made worse by the Trump administration’s failure to confront the crisis head-on. You can watch the event here.
WISCONSIN Tuesday, November 10, 2020 — Governor Tony Evers (D-WI), Wisconsin Providers and Health Care Advocates Discuss What’s at Stake for Health Care Amidst ACA SCOTUS Oral Arguments On Tuesday, as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Trump administration’s lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers joined providers and health care advocates to discuss how the Trump-Republican lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would devastate Wisconsinites and rip health coverage away from millions of Americans in the middle of a public health emergency made worse by the Trump administration’s failure to confront the crisis head-on. You can watch the event here.
Coverage
Up North News: Evers Goes To Bat for the Affordable Care Act as Trump Tries to Kill It at the Supreme Court
WDJT (CBS): State Leaders React as Supreme Court Considers Affordable Care Act
On January 5, 2020, control of the U.S. Senate will be determined by runoff elections in Georgia. Both tight races, Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff will face Senator David Perdue, and Reverend Raphael Warnock will go up against Senator Kelly Loeffler. Both Senators Perdue and Loeffler are strong supporters of President Trump’s disastrous health care agenda, while Ossoff and Warnock support President-elect Joe Biden’s agenda to lower costs, expand coverage, and defend the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Polling from before and after the presidential election shows that health care has been a top issue for Georgia voters, and news coverage confirms health care could be central to securing a Democratic victory in both races.
Health Care Is A Top Issue For Georgia Voters
Exit Polls Revealed That 79 Percent Of Biden Supporters In Georgia Said Health Care Was Important To Their Vote. “Independents in Georgia broke for Biden by 7 points, 51 percent to 44 percent, according to the New York Times exit polls. (In 2016, Trump had won them decisively.) And health care policy was one of the top issues for Biden voters, just behind racial inequality and Covid-19, with 79 percent saying it was important to their vote.” [Vox, 11/6/20]
In October, 74 Percent Of Georgia Voters Said Health Care Was A Very Important Or The Most Important Issue When Deciding Who To Vote For In The Senate Race. “A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that health care is a key issue for Georgia voters, with 74% considering it either a very important or the most important issue when deciding who to vote for in the US Senate race.” [Protect Our Care, 10/22/20]
Voters Reported That They Trusted Democratic Challenger Jon Ossoff More On Health Care Issues Than Republican Senator David Perdue. “49% trust Ossoff more to protect health care for people with preexisting conditions, while just 39% trust Perdue more. 48% trust Ossoff more on the overall issue of health care, while only 40% trust Perdue more. 48% trust Ossoff more to hold health insurance and pharmaceutical companies accountable, while only 42% trust Perdue in this area.” [Protect Our Care, 10/22/20]
Voters Were Less Likely To Support Senator David Perdue After Hearing He Voted To Repeal The Affordable Care Act. “Meanwhile, a majority (56%) of Georgia voters oppose the Trump administration’s attempt at striking down the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in court without any replacement. Just 33% think the law should be struck down. When voters hear that Perdue voted four times to fully repeal the ACA, a plurality (43%) say they are less likely to support him in the election, while only 32% are more likely.” [Protect Our Care, 10/22/20]
October 2020 Monmouth Poll Found That Georgia Voters Trusted Joe Biden Over Donald Trump On Keeping Health Care “Affordable And Accessible” By A 10-Point Margin (48-38). [Monmouth University, 10/28/20]
September 2020 Commonwealth Fund Poll In Battleground States Found That A Wide Majority Of Georgia Voters Said Joe Biden Was More Likely Than President Trump To Protect Insurance Coverage For People With Pre-Existing Conditions (63-30). “In each of the 10 battleground states, a majority of likely voters said Biden is more likely to protect insurance coverage for people with preexisting conditions. Likely voters favor Biden over Trump on this issue by between 6 percentage points in Ohio to 33 percentage points in Georgia.” [Commonwealth Fund, 9/24/20]
Trump’s Attacks On Health Care May Have Been Key To Biden’s Lead In Georgia
Vox: Trump’s Efforts To Scrap Healthcare.gov Could Have “Pushed Biden Over The Top” In Georgia. “There are lots of factors in what made Georgia so competitive this year — including a fired-up Black voter base, college-educated suburbs leaning away from Republicans, and the legacy of the late John Lewis hanging over the election after his death this year. But elections are also decided on policy, and we know that health care has been a top issue for American voters for at least the past year. We also know that Democrats are more trusted by far on health care. I am going to forever wonder whether Trump’s decision to scrap HealthCare.gov in Georgia just two days before the election could have pushed Biden over the top.” [Vox, 11/6/20]
Democrats Will Continue To Focus On Health Care In Georgia Runoff Races
Warnock Will Continue Focusing On Expanding Access To Health Care Ahead Of January Runoff. “For Warnock’s campaign, the strategy isn’t expected to change much, despite the national attention following last week’s election. Warnock’s campaign will turn again to expanding access to health care, protecting voting rights and ‘presenting a vision of the state that benefits all Georgians,’ according to a campaign spokesperson speaking on background.” [USA Today, 11/9/20]
Ossoff Campaign Manager: Georgians “Are Going To Send Jon To The Senate To Defend Their Health Care.” “ Democrats, meanwhile, continued a focus on healthcare by accusing Republicans of a botched response to the still-raging coronavirus pandemic…Ossoff’s campaign manager Ellen Foster said Georgians “are going to send Jon to the Senate to defend their health care and put the interests of working families and small businesses ahead of corporate lobbyists.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/7/20]
The Hill: “The Stakes Are High, And Democrats Plan To Partly Frame The Races As A Referendum On Health Care.” “The stakes are high, and Democrats plan to partly frame the races as a referendum on health care. Without a Democratic majority in the Senate, Biden’s health care agenda would be severely limited to administrative action and bipartisan legislation which has become increasingly hard to pass in a gridlocked Washington. Democrats think if they can make health care the focus of the election in Georgia — one of the few states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid to low-income adults under ObamaCare — they have a decent shot at victory. Black people in Georgia has also been disproportionately dying of COVID-19, partly due to a lack of access to health care. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that will determine the future of the law Tuesday.” [The Hill, 11/8/20]
Stefan Turkheimer, Democratic Strategist In Georgia, Said That The Issue Of Health Care Is “Absolutely Resonating” In Georgia. “‘Health care has always been a big issue, but now that you’ve got ObamaCare going to the Supreme Court, and it’s such an important problem for so many people, especially given COVID. I think it’s absolutely resonating in Georgia,’ said Stefan Turkheimer, a Democratic strategist in the state.” [The Hill, 11/8/20]
The Head Of The GOP Senate Super PAC Called Democrats’ Focus On Pre-Existing Conditions “Particularly Effective.” “Democrats relentlessly hammered incumbent Republicans, regardless of state, for supporting the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with preexisting conditions. The head of the major Senate GOP super PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, conceded the ads had a significant impact. ‘If you were to turn your TV on in every state in the country that had a competitive Senate race, you would see exactly the same ad run by every Democratic candidate, every Democratic outside group and the DSCC,’ Steven Law said. ‘Our data suggests the Democratic attacks were particularly effective there.’” [Huffington Post, 11/9/20]
DOJ Made Clear That Their Lawsuit Requires Eliminating Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions Along With the Rest of the ACA
Washington, DC — Today, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in California v. Texas. This case is the culmination of the decade-long Republican war on health care and the Affordable Care Act. If successful, the case would completely dismantle the ACA, ripping coverage from more than 20 million Americans and removing protections for 135 million people with pre-existing conditions — all in the middle of a global pandemic. The Acting Solicitor General, in particular, made very clear that the health care repeal lawsuit requires eliminating protections for pre-existing conditions along with the rest of the ACA.
“Trump’s Department of Justice and Republican attorneys general are continuing their health care sabotage agenda by asking the Supreme Court to entirely overturn the Affordable Care Act. Though many Justices seemed skeptical of the Republican arguments for completely dismantling the ACA, their intention remains crystal clear, and millions of Americans will have to wait months for a decision while the fate of their health care hangs in the balance,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “Despite voters rejecting their war on health care time and time again, Republicans will stop at nothing to throw our entire health care system into chaos and rip health care away from Americans, even during the worst public health crisis our country has faced in a century.”
As the Supreme Court readies to hear oral arguments in California v. Texas, the Trump-Republican lawsuit to completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act, Americans’ health care hangs in the balance. If successful, the lawsuit would rip coverage from more than 20 million Americans and remove protections for the 135 million people with pre-existing conditions — all in the midst of a deadly pandemic. For a decade, Republicans have waged a war on health care by undermining the ACA at every turn. Now, Donald Trump and Senate Republicans have installed what they hope is an anti-ACA justice on the Supreme Court who they believe will help them accomplish what they haven’t been able to do legislatively — repeal the entire ACA and throw the American health care system into chaos. If Republicans get their way, the protections of the ACA that so many Americans rely on will be gone.
Washington, DC — Today, Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN), former Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt and Andy Pincus, who has argued more than 30 cases before the Supreme Court, joined Protect Our Care to discuss California v. Texas, the Trump-Republican lawsuit to terminate the Affordable Care Act. Tomorrow, November 10, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the lawsuit that, if successful, would overturn the entire ACA, rip health care away from over 20 million Americans and end protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions — all during the worst public health crisis in a century. This comes after Donald Trump and Senate Republicans rushed through the confirmation process to install a handpicked anti-ACA justice on the Supreme Court who they hope will help them accomplish what they couldn’t do legislatively — completely dismantle the ACA.
“We are fighting as hard as we can to make sure an illness doesn’t mean financial ruin and bankruptcy,” said Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN). “We’re in this fight. We’re here to defend this law, and we hope the Supreme Court does the right thing and carries out the will of the people.”
“We have so many Americans who run for office because of the ACA, vote because of the ACA and that’s because their lives were profoundly impacted by the ACA,” said former Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt. “The court has to take real stock of a dramatic impact this case would have on the country. I’d venture to say a near collapse from a health care and economic standpoint.”
“The argument advanced by Texas and the Trump Administration—that the entire ACA is invalid because Congress zeroed out the mandate penalty—has been discredited by legal scholars from across the political spectrum, including some of the ACA’s harshest critics,” said Andy Pincus, who has argued more than 30 cases before the Supreme Court. “It is contrary to decades of Supreme Court decisions. It is contrary to common sense. And, if adopted, it would leave more than 23 million Americans without access to healthcare and destabilize the Nation’s healthcare system—all during a pandemic that has already killed nearly 250,000 Americans.”
“The thing is, my disease is not going to stop if the ACA is repealed. The pandemic is not going to stop if the ACA is repealed. Instead, people like me will just have to pay more. Our families will just have to pay more to get care,” said Jessica Intermill, a Minnesotan with rheumatoid arthritis. “If there is no ACA and my insurance company kicks me off, the drug company is going to send me the $54,000 bill [for my medication]. That’s more than twice my mortgage. I don’t know how to pay for it.”
“Republicans have waged a decade-long battle to undermine the ACA and rip health care coverage from Americans,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “Now, the Trump administration is arguing before the Supreme Court that the entire law should be overturned. This lawsuit is just another attempt from Republicans to remove protections for people with pre-existing conditions with no plan to help them get coverage. Overturning the ACA would throw our entire health care system into chaos, leaving millions of Americans without health care coverage during a global pandemic.”
Tomorrow, November 10, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in California v. Texas, the Trump-Republican lawsuit to completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act. If successful, the lawsuit would terminate the health care law in its entirety and rip coverage from more than 20 million Americans and leave 135 million people with pre-existing conditions without the protections they rely on for insurance. The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the case after a decade of Republican health care sabotage and in the middle of the worst public health crisis our country has faced in over a century. The fate of the ACA and the American health care system hang in the balance as the court considers the case. Here is how media describes the potential chaos:
COVERAGE:
New York Times: The Affordable Care Act Faces Another Supreme Court Test. “Eight years ago, the Affordable Care Act barely survived its first encounter with the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, a significantly more conservative court will hear arguments in a case brought by Republican state officials, backed by the Trump administration, seeking to destroy it. At stake are health insurance for millions of people, protections for pre-existing conditions for millions more and the fate of President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement, a law that has become woven into the fabric of the health care system in ways big and small.” [New York Times, 11/8/20]
New York Times: To Win, Republican Challengers “Would Have To Persuade The Justices That The Law, Which Is Popular And Whose Unraveling Could Cause Chaos In The Health Care System, Should Be Wiped Out…” “On the surface, events since the first decision would seem to place the health care law in real peril… But there are reasons to think the law, or at least most of it, may survive. To win, the Republican challengers would have to run the table on three separate legal arguments. And they would have to persuade the justices that the law, which is popular and whose unraveling could cause chaos in the health care system, should be wiped out based on a highly formalistic argument. During a pandemic. [New York Times,11/8/20]
Washington Post: The Affordable Care Act Returns To The Supreme Court In The Shadow Of A Pandemic. “When the Supreme Court hears a case Tuesday that could abolish the Affordable Care Act, the stakes will be higher than ever, coming amid a historic health and economic crisis that has deprived millions of Americans of insurance and cast a neon light on health care’s importance.” [Washington Post, 11/7/20]
Washington Post: Overturning the ACA “Would Upend The Health-Care System In Ways That Touch Most People In The United States.” “A decision this term to strike down the entire ACA — unlike when justices upheld the law on different grounds in 2012 and 2015 — would upend the health-care system in ways that touch most people in the United States. If the high court, with a newly strengthened conservative majority, were to overturn the law following this week’s oral arguments, health insurance would collapse for at least 23 million Americans. Nearly 11 million would lose coverage through marketplaces created under the ACA to sell private health plans, usually with federal subsidies, to people who cannot get affordable benefits through a job. And about 12 million, insured because of Medicaid expansions in all but a dozen states, could find that coverage disappear.” [Washington Post, 11/7/20]
Washington Post: Overturning The Law “Carries Particularly Intensity At This Moment” As The Nation Continues To Battle The Coronavirus Pandemic. “But the renewed possibility that the high court could find the sprawling law unconstitutional carries particular intensity at this moment, months into the coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened more than 9.8 million people in the United States and caused more than 237,000 updated deaths.” [Washington Post,11/7/20]
Washington Post: For The 9.8 Million People Who Have Been Infected With Coronavirus, “One Of The Greatest Fears” Involves Ripping Away Protections For People With Pre-Existing Medical Conditions. “For those who have been infected and are aware of the court case, one of the greatest fears involves a part of the law that consistently has ranked as the most popular in years of public opinion polling: protections for people with preexisting medical conditions. The protections forbid insurers to charge such customers higher prices, to refuse to cover them for care associated with their condition, or to refuse to sell them a health plan at all.” [Washington Post,11/7/20]
Wall Street Journal: Affordable Care Act Faces Latest Test In Supreme Court. “A week after President Trump’s electoral defeat, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on one of the principal goals of his 2016 campaign—eliminating the Affordable Care Act—in the midst of an intensifying pandemic.” [Wall Street Journal,11/8/20]
Wall Street Journal: “Elimination Of The ACA Would Inflict A Shock To The Health Care System” As Millions Have Lost Jobs During The Pandemic. Millions of people have lost their jobs during the pandemic, and with them their work-provided health insurance. Elimination of the ACA would inflict a shock on the health-care system, analysts say. Most states with budgets already strapped by the pandemic would be unable to cover the shortfall if federal funding for Medicaid expansion ends. Moreover, the law is now firmly entrenched in the U.S. health system. The ACA ensures coverage of preventive care, including a possible Covid-19 vaccine, without cost sharing in Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance.” [Wall Street Journal,11/8/20]
NBC News: Supreme Court To Hear Arguments In Showdown Over Obamacare. “The Supreme Court on Tuesday will take up what is likely to be the most important case of the term, a make-or-break challenge to the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. With a solid 6-3 conservative majority, the court will decide the future of President Barack Obama’s signature legislation, a law Republicans have long opposed but one that 20 million Americans now depend on for their health insurance.” [NBC News, 11/9/20]
CNBC: Obamacare To Face Another Supreme Court Test On Tuesday, This Time With A 6-3 Conservative Majority. “The landmark health-care legislation known as Obamacare will face its third test at the Supreme Court this week before the most conservative panel of justices that have sat on the bench in decades…If the court strikes down the law, more than 20 million Americans could lose the health care coverage they have received under its provisions. The health-insurance industry, which has built itself around the law for 10 years, could be upended.” [CNBC, 11/9/20]
CNBC: The Coronavirus Pandemic Has “Amplified the Stakes Of The Battle.” “The spreading coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 230,000 in the U.S. since it emerged late last year and sparked a recession that has kicked millions off their health insurance, has amplified the stakes of the battle.” [CNBC, 11/9/20]
Politico: Obamacare Faces Supreme Court Remade By Trump. “President Donald Trump will leave office without making good on his pledge to wipe out Obamacare. But the Supreme Court he reshaped will soon indicate if it’ll finish the job. The court will hear a lawsuit Tuesday that likely represents Republicans’ last chance to knock out a health care law they’ve opposed for over a decade, and that President-elect Joe Biden is vowing to expand. One of the most-watched participants at the oral arguments will be Trump’s latest appointee to the high court, Amy Coney Barrett.” [Politico, 11/9/20]
Politico: Supporters And Critics Of The ACA Believe The Republicans’ Argument Is “Faulty.” “Supporters of the health care law, and even some critics, believe that argument is faulty. Even if the mandate is now unconstitutional, they say it can be cleanly removed from the law without damaging the insurance protections and its many other provisions, like Medicaid expansion to millions of low-income adults, lower drug costs for seniors and reforms to how health care is delivered. Congress’ decision to scrap just the mandate penalty after the GOP’s broader Obamacare repeal effort collapsed is proof that lawmakers believed Obamacare could survive without penalizing people who forgo coverage.” [Politico, 11/9/20]
Bloomberg: Obamacare Stakes Rise At Supreme Court As Election Dooms Easy Fix. “Advocates for patients, doctors, hospitals and insurance companies are urging the court to uphold the law, warning of chaos should the measure be invalidated in the midst of a pandemic. The challenge jeopardizes the health care of more than 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, including those who have had Covid-19, according to estimates from the liberal Center for American Progress.” [Bloomberg, 11/9/20]
Associated Press: Without Ginsburg, High Court Support For Health Law In Doubt. “Republican attorneys general in 18 states, backed by the Trump administration, are arguing that the whole law should be struck down because of a change made by the Republican-controlled Congress in 2017 that reduced the penalty for not having health insurance to zero. A court ruling invalidating the entire law would threaten coverage for more than 23 million people. It would wipe away protections for people with preexisting medical conditions, subsidized insurance premiums that make coverage affordable for millions of Americans and an expansion of the Medicaid program that is available to low-income people in most states.” [Associated Press,11/7/20]
Kaiser Health News: What to Know As ACA Heads To Supreme Court — Again. “The central issue in the case is whether the requirement in the law to have insurance — which remains even though Congress eliminated the penalty or tax — is constitutional. But states are not subject to the so-called individual mandate, so some analysts suggest the Republican officials have no standing. In addition, questions have been raised about the individual plaintiffs in the case, two consultants from Texas who argue that they felt compelled to buy insurance even without a possible penalty.” [Kaiser Health News,11/9/20]
Axios: The ACA Is Again “On The Brink Of Life Or Death At The High Court.” “The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday over the future of the Affordable Care Act — the third time in eight years the ACA has been on the brink of life or death at the high court. The big picture: For now, the smart money says that the court is likely to strike down what remains of the law’s individual mandate, but is unlikely to go along with the argument — advanced by both red states and the Trump administration — that the whole law has to fall along with it.” [Axios,11/9/20]
Americans Voted for COVID Relief and Lowering Health Care Costs and Increasing Health Care Coverage by Building on the Affordable Care Act
Washington, DC — After taking the lead in Pennsylvania, Joe Biden will win the presidency after running a campaign committed to protecting America from the coronavirus pandemic and building on the Affordable Care Act to reduce costs, increase coverage and fix the health care disaster created by Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s sustained war on American health care.
“President-elect Biden ran on health care, and he will be a health care president. Voters made their voices heard by electing Joe Biden to make sure everyone has affordable quality health care,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “In 2018 health care gave Democrats a majority in the House, and in 2020 Joe Biden’s plan to beat the virus and improve our health care put him in the Oval Office. Voters gave President-elect Joe Biden a mandate to build on the Affordable Care Act to lower costs, increase coverage and stand up to insurance and drug companies.”
“Donald Trump started his presidency by attacking the Affordable Care Act and continued to undermine Americans’ health care at every turn,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “For four years, Trump has tried everything he can think of to rip health care coverage from more than 20 million Americans and remove protections for the 135 million people with pre-existing conditions who rely on the ACA for coverage — even in the middle of a pandemic. The voters have resoundingly repudiated President Trump’s war on health care and have instead elected a health care champion in Joe Biden. That’s a BFD.”
