Rep. Rochester Marks 10th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, Calls on Trump Administration to End ACA Lawsuit

WASHINGTON, March 24 -- Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Delaware, issued the following news release:

On the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) called on the Trump Administration to end its Texas v. U.S. lawsuit, which would strike down the entirety of the ACA as well as pre-existing condition protections for 130 million Americans, including 160,000 Delawareans, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"Protecting and building upon the legacy of the Affordable Care Act was one of the main reasons I came to Congress in the first place," said Rep. Blunt Rochester. "As we commemorate a decade since the passage of this landmark legislation, we must do everything in our power to push back against the continued attacks on the ACA. That's why today, I'm calling on the Trump Administration to end their lawsuit that would strip away protections for hundreds of thousands of Delawareans with pre-existing conditions. As we fight the coronavirus pandemic, we're reminded of just how important access to affordable coverage is. That's why I'm working every day in Congress to expand access and lower the cost of health care."

Since becoming law in 2010, the ACA has become a pillar of health and economic stability for millions of Americans. It has protected 160,000 Delawareans with pre-existing conditions, lowered drug costs for over 52,000 Delawareans on Medicare and reduced Delaware's uninsured population by nearly 32,000. If the Trump Administration's lawsuit is successful in gutting the ACA, Delaware families would face staggering consequences:

* Uninsured Rate will Increase: Delaware residents will lose expanded health insurance coverage through the ACA, leading to 28,000 more Delaware residents becoming uninsured - a 41.8% increase in the state uninsured rate.

* Federal Health Care Funding will Decrease: Delaware will lose $302 million in critical federal funding that pays for Medicaid/CHIP care and Marketplace subsidies, harming Delawareans.

* Pre-Existing Conditions will be Gutted: About 160,000, or 28%, of Delaware residents, will face increased costs or be denied coverage for their pre-existing conditions.

* Prescription Drug Costs For Seniors will Increase: Prescription drug costs will increase for the 12 million Medicare beneficiaries nationwide who have saved on prescription drugs due to the ACA's closure of Medicare Part D donut hole.

Full text of the letter can be found below.

* * *

The President The White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NorthwestWashington D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

Our country is facing an extraordinary crisis as the world worksto mitigatethecoronavirus(COVID-19) pandemic. You mustguarantee thatevery individual in the United States affected by COVID-19 can accessthe medical treatment, services, and therapeutics that they need. However, you will be unable to do so if the Supreme Court of the United States strikes down the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act(ACA), leaving hundreds of millions of people without health insuranceorprotections forpreexisting conditions.

On the 10thanniversary of theACA, we write to ask you to order the Department of Justice to drop their support of the plaintiffs in the Texas v. Californialawsuit, to urge the plaintiffs to drop their case,and to protect the health care of all Americans during this global health crisis.

Though access to affordable, qualityhealth carecoverage is essential to protect the health of ourcommunities at all times, that coverage becomes even more critical during a public health emergency. The ACA gave more than20 million Americans health coveragefor the first time, ensured that 135 million Americans couldn't be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition, offered 2.3 million children the ability to remain on their parents' insurance, and lowered health care costs for millions more. Without the ACA, our uninsured rate will spike by 65 percent as critical health care coverage willbe unavailable or unaffordable for millions.Uninsuredindividualsare less likely to seek testing and treatmentfor COVID-19, which willfurther the spread of the coronavirusand crush providers by the level of uncompensated care that will ensue./1

Preliminary unemployment datareveal that COVID-19 has already devastated families across the United States./2

Workerswho are being laid off during this crisis at least have the peace of mind to know that they can obtain affordable coverage through Medicaid expansion or the ACA individual market, regardless of whether or not they are currently employed.Butif the ACA is struck down by the Supreme Court, 17 million low-income Americanswho rely on the ACA's Medicaid expansionand the millions who rely on the ACA marketplace wouldlose theirhealth care on top of their jobs.

Further, your Administration has relied on the ACA's provisions to respondto COVID-19.During a March 4 White House press briefing, Vice President Mike Pence invoked the ACA's Essential Health Benefits (EHBs) to assure Americans on private health insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid that they would be able to obtain free diagnostic testing for coronavirus./3Though the Vice President misinterpreted the scopeof EHBs,the ACA does indeed mandatethatprivate insurance plansand Medicaid expansion states provide free preventive careto their beneficiaries, which could includediagnostic testing./4

On March 12,the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published additional guidance to indicatethat the 10 existingEHBscouldinclude coverage for all diagnostic testing, treatments, isolations, and quarantines related to COVID-19./5

The ACAprovides funding for public health initiatives and community health centersthat serve as a lifeline for the uninsuredand for undocumented workers and their families who are reluctant to seek COVID-19 testing or care because they fear deportation under your Administration'scruelpolicies. The ACA lowersprescription drug costsfor older Americans--who are the most vulnerable population in this crisis--by closing the "donut hole" that left them exposed to high out-of-pocket expenses. The ACA eliminated annual and lifetime dollar caps on insurance benefits, which will protect many of those who contract COVID-19 from crushing out-of-pocket medical bills.In short, the ACA saves lives.

The Affordable Care Act has become engrained as a pillar of our health care system over the last 10 years. If the Supreme Court were to strike down the ACA during the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States health care system could immediately collapse. We urge you to prevent that devastating possibility byimmediately withdrawingyour support for the Texas v. Californialawsuit. You must not sabotage the health care of over three hundred million Americans during a global health crisis.

See Signature and footnotes here (https://schakowsky.house.gov/sites/schakowsky.house.gov/files/U.S.%20House%20Ltr%20to%20POTUS_Drop%20ACA%20Lawsuit.pdf)