Trump’s Packed Supreme Court Could Defy Will of the Voters, Take Health Coverage from 20 Million People, End Pre-Existing Conditions Protections, Eliminate Medicaid Expansion in a Pandemic
Washington, DC – Ahead of the Supreme Court’s hearing of California v. Texas, Health Care for America Now Executive Director Margarida Jorge released the following statement:
“Health care was on the ballot in last week’s Presidential election and voters made a clear choice. They cast more votes for President-Election Biden than any previous presidential candidate in history, rejecting another four years of President Trump’s attacks on the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicare and his failed COVID policies.
“But thanks to the four years Trump spent packing the Supreme Court with extremist Anti-ACA judges, last week’s election results may not be enough in the short-term to save health care for millions of people who need it more than ever as they navigate the worst public health crisis of our lifetimes.
“Today’s Supreme Court hearing on the Trump-backed Republican lawsuit, California v. Texas, could overturn the health care law, stripping over 20 million people of coverage and ending protections for more than 135 million Americans living with pre-existing conditions. A Supreme Court repeal of the ACA could throw the entire health system into chaos and leave millions more people who now have pre-existing conditions because of COVID as well as millions who have lost jobs and private coverage with no options for health care even as they struggle through the aftermath of a pandemic that currently infects 100,000 people a day.
“For the past four years, President Trump and his Republican allies have tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act in Congress but failed because they don’t have the support of the public. Just a month before the election, a record-setting 62% of Americans were in favor of the ACA — the highest number since the law was enacted. Last week’s election of pro-health care and pro-ACA leaders decisively demonstrate that Americans want a different direction on health care, especially as COVID batters the nation.
“For the sake of our democracy, the Supreme Court has an obligation to uphold the ACA as the law of the land and reject any push to evoke partisan politics in judgement of the case. The justices must serve as neutral arbiters and prioritize sound legal judgement over President Trump’s partisan politics.”
