Trump Admin. Seeks to End the Affordable Care Act & Take Health Insurance from 20 Million Americans
As we have documented many times before, the Affordable Care Act [ACA, Obamacare] has been a godsend for millions of Americans who would not be able to afford their health care expenses otherwise. And, a growing body of research has shown that it has saved countless lives [see here and here]. Despite this success, Republicans continue their assault on the program and yesterday the Trump administration filed a brief with the US Supreme Court arguing that the "Act in its entirety is illegal because Congress eliminated the individual tax penalty for failing to purchase medical insurance."
As professor Neal Katyal of Georgetown University Law School explains here, the Trump administration's argument is fallacious, bordering on dishonest, considering recent Supreme Court precedent. Moreover, pressing a legally specious lawsuit to destroy the ACA during a pandemic is reprehensible and "cruel" as California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement. It would sacrifice American lives to fulfill a vile right-wing fantasy.
NPR: "Eliminating the ACA would end medical insurance for more than 20 million Americans. It would also end widely popular provisions of the law, such as extending parents' coverage to children up to the age of 26 and prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions."
And many more Americans are now accessing Obamacare because they have lost insurance coverage through their employer.
Washington Post: The [Trump administration] filing came the same day that a government report showed nearly half a million Americans turned to the ACA in April and May amid covid-19′s economic devastation. According to the Thursday report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 487,000 Americans took advantage of the special enrollment period on Healthcare.gov after losing their healthcare plans, likely among the millions of Americans who lost their jobs during the pandemic. The numbers mark a 46 percent increase from enrollments in April and May 2019.
Former Vice-President Joe Biden issued a statement soon after the Trump administration filed their brief with the Supreme Court calling their action "cruel," "heartless," and "callous,"
In his campaign, Biden has outlined how he would expand Obamacare to cover more individuals who are unable to afford insurance. Donald Trump and Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have vowed to destroy the ACA. On this issue, like so many others, there is a clear choice in November.
By: Don Lam & Curated Content
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