Washington, DC, May 6, 2020—Today, Donald Trump announced that his administration will urge the United States Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act, again doubling down on his attacks on the very public health and safety net infrastructure families need to survive the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to ravage the nation. Such a decision would cause millions of people to lose their health insurance, eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and do away with Medicaid expansion and important guarantees of no-cost birth control, maternity coverage, and much more. Just today, the Trump administration was in the U.S. Supreme Court defending their rules that take aim at the ACA’s birth control benefit.
In the midst of a pandemic, the ACA’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions and expanded health care coverage are more critical than ever — especially for women, LGBTQ people, and Black and Latinx communities that already face structural barriers to accessing health care and are more vulnerable to COVID-19. Yet as the outbreak continues, Trump has doubled down on his attacks, such as continuing to back this dangerous lawsuit, moving forward with a final rule that would roll back the ACA nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, and refusing to open a special enrollment period for the ACA.
Politicians on the ballot this November — from Donald Trump to incumbents like Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Steve Daines (R-MT), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Martha McSally (R-AZ) — have attacked the Affordable Care Act, jeopardizing essential health services and protections for millions of people with pre-existing conditions.
Jenny Lawson, executive director, Planned Parenthood Votes:
“Trump hasn’t just failed to adequately respond to the COVID-19 pandemic — he has actively made its grave consequences even worse. By doubling down on his attempts to overturn the Affordable Care Act, Trump is taking direct aim at health care for millions of people at a time when we need a strong public health system more than ever. As with many of Trump’s attacks on our health care, women would be among the hardest hit if his administration is successful in overturning the ACA, which requires coverage of crucial care like maternity coverage and no-cost birth control. Families deserve health and economic relief, not to have the rug yanked out from under their feet — and we’ll remember these shameful attacks on our health care this November.”
POLITICO: Trump will urge Supreme Court to strike down Obamacare
By Susannah Luthi
May 6, 2020
- “President Donald Trump on Wednesday said his administration will urge the Supreme Court to overturn Obamacare, maintaining its all-out legal assault on the health care law amid a pandemic that will drive millions of more Americans to depend on its coverage.”
- “The administration appears to be doubling down on its legal strategy, even after Attorney General Bill Barr this week warned top Trump officials about the political ramifications of undermining the health care safety net during the coronavirus emergency.”
- “Trump told reporters Wednesday afternoon his administration will stand by its position. ‘Obamacare is a disaster, but we’ve made it barely acceptable,’ Trump said.”
- “About 20 million people have been covered by Obamacare, and the law is expected to provide a major safety net during the economic freefall brought on by the coronavirus. Millions more are expected to join the Medicaid rolls, especially in states that joined Obamacare’s expansion to poor adults. Others who lost workplace health insurance can sign up on the law’s health insurance marketplaces, though the Trump administration isn’t doing much to advertise coverage options.”
- “Top Trump officials have been split on the legal strategy in the Obamacare lawsuit. Barr and Alex Azar, the Health and Human Services secretary, both opposed a broader attack on the law, but White House officials have been more supportive, seeing it as a chance to fulfill Trump’s pledge to repeal Obamacare.”
As the pressure on our public health infrastructure mounts, Planned Parenthood Votes will continue to call attention to attacks on the ACA from politicians who have put our health at risk:
- Donald Trump and his administration have sabotaged the Affordable Care Act at every turn — including backing a legal challenge that could eliminate the law, undermining core protections like the guarantee that health insurance through your employer must cover birth control, and pushing harmful Medicaid expansion “work requirements” that kick people off their health care.
- Before a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act and dismantle protections for pre-existing conditions, Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) urged her colleagues to ‘get this f—ing thing done,’ jeopardizing affordable coverage for 709,000 Arizonans. She also refused to oppose the Trump administration’s lawsuit to overturn the ACA, saying “That’s their decision” and “it’s not my role” to oppose it.
- Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) has voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would take away protections from more than 420,000 Montanans who have pre-existing conditions.
- Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) has voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, jeopardizing health care coverage for 588,000 Coloradans. Gardner initially dodged questions about the Trump administration’s ACA lawsuit, before agreeing with the argument that the law is unconstitutional.
- Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which could jeopardize protections for more than 4.1 million North Carolinians who have pre-existing conditions. He also backed the Trump administration’s ACA lawsuit and asserted, “I support anything that ultimately takes [the ACA] off the table.”
- Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, putting coverage at risk for 230,000 Iowans who receive insurance from the ACA and over 1.2 million Iowans with pre-existing conditions. Ernst dodged questions about the Trump administration’s lawsuit to overturn the ACA, saying, “Um, I am not going to make a determination on that, I am not an attorney.”
- Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) voted in favor of the Trump-McConnell tax scam, which gave a massive tax handout to billionaires and corporations and put the Affordable Care Act at risk.
- Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) committed to voting for Republican legislation that would dismantle the Affordable Care Act, even though it could result in one million Georgians losing their health coverage — before he had even read the Republican bill.
- John James, who could challenge health care champion Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) in Michigan, called the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions a “monstrosity.”
Planned Parenthood Votes is an independent expenditure political committee registered with the Federal Election Commission.