RALEIGH (June 17, 2021) – Today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling for the Affordable Care Act is a huge victory for all Americans, including the 23 million people who were in immediate danger of losing their health care in the middle of a deadly pandemic. The ACA has been a lifeline for millions of people during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing them to maintain health coverage either through the marketplaces or Medicaid.
Thankfully, the latest attempt by Republican lawmakers to abolish the ACA, take away health care from 23 million people, and eliminate vital benefits and protections that we all rely on, has failed. Yet while today’s ruling will have no impact on the Affordable Care Act, it’s truly shocking that some in the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as lower court judges, bought into meritless arguments.
No Supreme Court Justice who voted to uphold the law deserves special praise. It was the only legally and constitutionally sound option, as evidenced by widespread criticism of the lawsuit from across the ideological spectrum, including from architects of previous challenges to the ACA and even two Republican attorneys general.
Enough is enough. The ACA has been the law of the land for more than a decade and benefits everyone across the U.S.
No more attacks.
No more fringe lawsuits.
Instead of trying to take health care away from tens of millions of people, it’s time to build on the ACA’s successes and make improvements that will make health care more affordable and accessible. The pandemic has taught us we need to move toward universal health care and only further confirmed what we’ve always known: lives are on the line when people can’t get the health coverage they need.