Washington, DC – The National Health Law Program is cheered and relieved by today’s Supreme Court ruling rejecting yet another challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). While we still lament that such a spurious challenge to the ACA made it to the nation’s highest court, we are hopeful that this was the last attempt to overturn the law that has provided access to care for millions of individuals and families.
The ACA’s Medicaid expansion has been a lifeline for individuals and families across the country
“Today’s ruling is an enormous victory for our country. The ACA is a vital force in connecting people with the access and care they need, and the ACA’s value is more pronounced now than ever,” said NHeLP Executive Director Elizabeth G. Taylor. “Especially at this point in time when the Biden administration opened the ACA Marketplaces for a special enrollment period to help people find coverage during the pandemic. The ACA’s Medicaid expansion has been a lifeline for individuals and families across the country, unexpectedly stung by the pandemic and economic downturn. And the ACA’s essential health benefits, nondiscrimination protections and other provisions have guaranteed that people continue to have access to vital care even amid the pandemic, including reproductive and sexual health care.”
“The ACA has been the law of the land for over a decade, and it has been an incredible force for good in the United States. At the same time, we need to look forward,” said Mara Youdelman, managing attorney for the DC office. “We have the opportunity to build on the ACA’s successes and strengthen it to make health care more affordable and accessible. We appreciate the first steps Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration took to reduce costs for marketplace plans. Yet deep health inequities and systematic racism continue to exist, and we must act now to address them. Inaction is not an option. We need a health care system that is responsive to the needs of those traditionally excluded from quality care, including low-income and underserved individuals and families, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), people with disabilities, LGBTQ-GNC individuals, women, immigrants, people with limited English proficiency, and people at the intersection of multiple identities.”
In May 2020, the National Health Law Program and ten other organizations filed an amicus brief opposing the effort to invalidate the Affordable Care Act, including the Medicaid expansion and other provisions designed to improve the Medicaid program.
