Washington, D.C. – Siding with Republican governors and state attorneys general, a federal judge issued a flawed decision claiming to invalidate the landmark health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act.
National Health Law Program Executive Director Elizabeth G. Taylor said it was crucial for people to remain confident and continue enrolling the ACA marketplaces.
“It is important for people to continue enrolling through the ACA marketplaces. The current enrollment period ends at 12 a.m. pacific time on Dec. 15, and we are confident that ACA coverage will be effective in 2019,” Taylor said. “The ACA is still the law of the land. The district court judge in Texas has issued a wobbly legal decision that does not shut down the law, and the judge’s action will be appealed.”
National Health Law Program’s Legal Director Jane Perkins said the opinion is grounded in a cramped reading of U.S. Constitution, that rests on a flawed understanding of Supreme Court precedent regarding the health care law and how statutes are to be construed.
“The ruling is nonsensical and untethered in legal precedent but is aimed at toppling the entire ACA and its protections for the hundreds of millions of U.S. people living with pre-existing conditions,” Perkins said. “National Health Law Program is confident the Texas judge’s decision is fatally flawed and will not result in the disaster its proponents are pushing for. Individuals and families seeking to get affordable health care coverage should enroll today.”
Please contact the National Health Law Program Communications Department at [email protected] or 301-233-0867 for additional comment from Taylor or Perkins.
National Health Law Program, founded in 1969, advocates for the rights of low-income and underserved people to access quality health care.
