Sen. Cantwell Statement on SCOTUS Decision to Uphold Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, issued the following news release on June 17, 2021:

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act:

"The Supreme Court's 7-2 decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act will finally give millions of families the certainty that their health care won't be taken away while the country continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic," Cantwell said. "This includes over three million people in Washington State with pre-existing conditions. Now, we must continue the fight to ensure all Americans have access to high-quality, affordable health care."

Senator Cantwell has long championed the Affordable Care Act, working to expand and protect health care coverage for Americans, including for people with pre-existing conditions and she has vehemently opposed continued attempts by the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans to take such protections away.

In February 2020, Senator Cantwell invited Jake Satake, a high school student from Spokane, WA, who is a type 1 diabetic and relies on the ACA to afford insulin to be her guest at the State of the Union Address. That same month, Cantwell joined the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in sending a letter to the Trump administration urging President Trump to direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to defend Affordable Care Act provisions that protect access to affordable health care for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions.

In October 2020, Cantwell sent a letter calling out the Trump administration on its promotion of "junk" insurance plans and attempts to undermine health insurance protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions. In July 2019, Cantwell joined health care providers and local patient advocates to defend the ACA and released a report on the threats to health care coverage for the millions of Washingtonians under the age of 65 living with a pre-existing health care condition. And in June 2018, Cantwell joined the entire Senate Democratic caucus to condemn the Trump administration's refusal to stand with patients across the country and defend health care protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions.