Mass. A.G. Healey Celebrates Major Victory as Supreme Court Dismisses Challenge to Affordable Care Act

BOSTON, Massachusetts, June 18 -- Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey issued the following statement on June 17, 2021 in response to the Supreme Court decision dismissing a legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

"For more than a decade, the Affordable Care Act has transformed our healthcare system by expanding coverage and saving lives.

"Today's decision is a huge win for Massachusetts, our country, and our values, and a moment for all of us to build on our progress and continue making health care work better for everyone.

"We're committed to partnering with our colleagues to defend this critical law against challenges from Republicans seeking to undermine the ability of working families to access the care they need."

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AG Healey was part of a coalition of 20 states and the District of Columbia, alongside the U.S. House of Representatives, that defended the ACA, including the law's protections for people with preexisting conditions, public health investments, and Medicaid expansion, among others.

BACKGROUND:

In 2018, a Texas-led coalition, supported by the Trump Administration, filed Texas v. U.S., arguing that Congress rendered the ACA's individual mandate unconstitutional when it reduced the penalty to $0 and that the rest of the ACA should be held invalid as a result of that change. The California-led coalition defended the ACA in its entirety. The Fifth Circuit held that the individual mandate is unconstitutional but declined to further rule on the validity of the ACA's remaining provisions. The court instead sent the case back to the Northern District of Texas to determine which provisions of the 900-page law are still valid. In January 2020, AG Healey joined the coalition in filing a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of the Fifth Circuit's decision. The Supreme Court granted review of California v. Texas in March 2020 and heard oral arguments in November 2020.