ACA Remains Popular In Florida

There is no debate about this statistic: Florida is the most popular state for the Affordable Care Act.

With 1.9 million Floridians signing up for Obamacare in 2019, Florida continues to lead the nation in sign-ups.

Even Texas, with more people, had fewer sign-ups -- 1.1 million. North Carolina was next with 505,275.

As for Florida, the sign-ups have increased from 983,775 in 2014 to 1.9 million last year.

The reason for the popularity of the Affordable Care Act in Florida has a lot to do with the refusal of state leaders to expand Medicaid.

Nevertheless, it is beyond belief that Florida has have joined a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the act that is before the U.S. Supreme Court.

It represents an official thumbing of the nose to Floridians who need health care. Even with so many sign-ups for Obamacare, Florida still has 2.7 million people who are uninsured.

According to healthinsurance.org, Florida has a Medicaid coverage gap. Non-disabled childless adults are not eligible for Medicaid.

According to a brief from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Trump administration has changed from opposing specific elements of the law to opposing it in total.

Essential elements of the act initially included the individual mandate and the tax penalty for not buying insurance, Medicaid expansion and protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

The Supreme Court earlier approved the tax but said that states were not required to expand Medicaid.

When Congress scrapped the tax penalty, that meant the entire law must fall, said the Trump administration as does a total of 18 state attorneys general.

Republican supporters of the lawsuit insist that they still support protections for people with pre-existing conditions, but this looks like an old political tactic of offering goodies without paying for them.

Congress clearly wanted to eliminate the individual mandate but keep the rest of it. That was confirmed by Sen. Lamar Alexander, the Republican from Tennessee. Congress had voted down a repeal measure.

There still is no credible Republican replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Responsible health industry leaders have offered suggestions to repair, not replace, the act. But those proposals have gone nowhere in partisan Washington.

If the Supreme Court strikes down the entire Affordable Care Act, it could result in 20 million people losing their health insurance, according to the Urban Institute, including many Floridians.

Without the Affordable Care Act, insurers could put annual and lifetime limits on coverage, young adults wouldn't be able to stay on their parents' plans and insurers could reimpose cost sharing for preventive services, among other losses.

"If the courts threw out only parts of the law, the result would be nearly as devastating," stated the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Supporters of the Affordable Care Act describe the administration's case as "flimsy," similar to a recent Supreme Court judgment that the administration failed to make its case on rescinding protections for Dreamers.

The list of groups opposing the lawsuit through amicus briefs is impressive, such as the American Hospital Association, the American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

The American Medical Association said in a statement that striking down the law during this pandemic "would be a self-inflicted wound that could take decades to heal."

If the Trump administration had a ready replacement for the Affordable Care Act, it would have a better argument. But that would require making tough choices, such as finding revenues to expand health care.

In contrast, if the Supreme Court strikes down the law, then the top .1 percent of wealthy Americans would receive huge tax benefits.

Evidence shows that the law continues to remain popular without the mandate, especially in Florida.

More insurers have joined the marketplace for the Affordable Care Act in Florida, driving down prices.

Opposing the Affordable Care Act is all about ideology, not serving the people.

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