Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Pepper Issues Statement on Affordable Care Act Lawsuit

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 20 -- The Ohio Democratic Party issued the following statement by Chairman David Pepper on the ruling by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on the Affordable Care Act lawsuit, Texas vs. U.S.:

"Before he took office, Donald Trump pretended to care about health care, saying there would be 'insurance for everybody,' but since he took office Ohio's uninsured rate has gone up, and the number of uninsured Ohio kids has surged.

"That's because Trump and the GOP have never had a plan for health care -- this lawsuit that he's cheerleading is the Republican plan. It will rip coverage away from more than half a million Ohioans who are covered under the Medicaid expansion, take protections away from nearly five million Ohioans with pre-existing conditions and put as many as one-fourth of Ohio's hospitals at risk for closure.

"Dave Yost's specious claim that now 'Ohioans can breathe easier' is stunning in its callous disregard for those whose health care is in danger. The situation is dire, and Republicans are closer than ever to their goal of overturning the Affordable Care Act and taking away coverage from millions of Americans."

Earlier this year, Ohio Democrats sounded the alarm about the Texas v. United States lawsuit and its potentially disastrous impact with news conferences in Steubenville, Zanesville, Columbus, Toledo and Springfield.