Brown Hosts Roundtable Discussion in Canton as He Continues Fighting for Ohioans’ Healthcare

CANTON, Ohio, July 3 -- Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, issued the following news release:

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- Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to Hear Healthcare Lawsuit Next Week in which GOP Leaders Seek to Eliminate the Affordable Care Act More Than 200,000 Ohioans Covered by the ACA, 11.4 Million Americans Nationwide

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Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted a roundtable discussion at Mercy Hospital in Canton as he continues to speak out against ongoing efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and throw millions of Americans off their health insurance. Next week, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in the Texas v. United States case in which GOP leaders are seeking to eliminate the ACA. In March, the Trump Administration told a federal court that it now supports invalidating the Affordable Care Act in its entirety and the President recently expressed support for a renewed effort to repeal ACA.

"The ACA has helped millions of Americans - including five million Ohioans under age 65 who have a preexisting condition. That's half the population of our state. But Right now, President Trump and his administration are pushing a case before the Supreme Court that threatens the health coverage of 20 million people and undermines pre-existing condition protections for all Americans," said Brown.

Brown was joined at the roundtable today by Mercy Health hospital leadership to talk about the importance of the Affordable Care Act for patients and how the law has improved services and healthcare at Mercy.

"We are pleased to host Senator Sherrod Brown, who has been a champion for promoting affordable and accessible health care for all. This is advocated by the Catholic Health Association and has been the mission of Mercy Medical Center for 111 years," said Paul Hiltz, FACHE President and CEO.

More than 200,000 Ohioans were enrolled in ACA marketplace insurance in 2019. If GOP Attorneys General and Governors are successful in overturning the Affordable Care Act, the number of uninsured Americans would increase by 65 percent, 5.5 million young adults would lose the option to stay on their parents' healthcare plans, and hospitals would risk closure.

Brown has led efforts to stand up for Ohioans' healthcare.

In 2017, Brown joined Ohio patients and patient advocates in cities around Ohio to underscore the importance of the Affordable Care Act and recently introduced legislation to make improvements to the Affordable Care Act by adding a public option to the individual marketplaces.

At the roundtable, Brown underscored his commitment to fighting efforts in Washington and Columbus to attack the Affordable Care Act and continuing his work to ensure Ohioans have access to affordable, quality health insurance.