American Heart Association Issues Statement on Trump Administration Bid to Strike Down Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- The American Heart Association issued the following statement on condemning ongoing attempts by the Trump Administration to strike down the Affordable Care Act:

"While anticipated, this legal filing by the Administration is still extremely troubling and disappointing. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has expanded access to health insurance coverage, improved patient outcomes and provided invaluable patient protections for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions - just as Congress intended.

"To push forward on attempts to overturn the ACA during the worst public health crisis in the last century poses a huge threat to the public health of our nation. While data on race, under-resourced communities and the coronavirus is too limited to draw conclusions, disproportionately high rates of sickness -- and death -- are the reality in too many instances for people of color. To overturn the ACA, would only exacerbate health disparities.

"Now more than ever we need to be promoting health care for all, not eroding health care access and gains in insurance coverage made under the ACA.

"This pandemic has highlighted the importance of access to meaningful health insurance coverage for millions of Americans - especially stroke survivors and people with heart disease who are at high-risk of being severely affected by the coronavirus. We will continue to advocate for the quality care that patients need and the protections that they deserve."