Sen. Hassan Marks 10th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, March 24 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following statement on the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act being signed into law:

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- In Response to COVID-19, Senator Hassan Reiterates Call for Additional Open Enrollment Period

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"As our country grapples with the unprecedented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, access to quality health insurance could not be more important. In the days ahead, I will continue to push for additional bipartisan legislation to help protect the health and economic well-being of all Americans amid this public health crisis, and I also urge the administration to heed calls from Republicans and Democrats alike to create a special enrollment period so that those who currently do not have health insurance have an opportunity to sign up for it amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Since its passage 10 years ago, the Affordable Care Act has been critical for expanding quality, affordable health coverage to millions of Americans, including those with pre-existing conditions.

"As we work to build on and improve the law, including by bringing down prescription drug costs, I continue to call on the administration to drop its support for a lawsuit that would strip coverage and vital protections away from hard-working people."

Earlier this month, Senator Hassan sent a letter with Senator Shaheen and their colleagues urging the administration to re-open the enrollment period to allow people without health insurance to purchase an Affordable Care Act plan through the health insurance marketplaces. Senator Hassan has also sounded the alarm on partisan efforts to strike down the Affordable Care Act and its protections for those with pre-existing conditions. In addition, she has fought back against the Administration's attempts to undermine the Affordable Care Act and push "junk" insurance plans that weaken pre-existing condition protections.