Today’s decision by SCOTUS to uphold the Affordable Care Act preserves a landmark law that has protected millions of Americans across the country, especially during the pandemic.
The benefits of the ACA are virtually immeasurable: thanks to Medicaid expansion in the majority of states, increased subsidies for lower-income Americans to access quality, affordable healthcare, and a number of other provisions. 20 million Americans gained health insurance across the country.
Now, we need the ACA more than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us just how important the ACA is. It has provided millions of Americans over the past 18 months with quality healthcare. Without it, those who had lost their jobs suddenly, those in need of healthcare as the pandemic ravaged our country, and other Americans would have been left uninsured. The importance of having health insurance has truly never been more urgent and more visible.
And it’s because of the ACA that tens of millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions now have protections against discrimination by health insurers. Despite Republican efforts to dismantle the protections afforded under the ACA, the law has proven time and again to be overwhelmingly popular and resilient.
The ACA has made America a healthier country, benefiting those most vulnerable citizens who need health insurance the most. Striking down the law would have been unconscionable, reversing all of the progress we have made, and stripping Americans of the healthcare they deserve.
Thank you SCOTUS for ruling that all Americans deserve quality, affordable healthcare, and that the ACA is a critical part of achieving that.