Sen. Hassan Statement on Trump Administration Doubling Down on Efforts to Repeal Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following statement:

With the Trump administration expected to formally file a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court backing a Republican-led lawsuit to strike down the Affordable Care Act.

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"As COVID-19 cases continue to climb and millions of Americans have lost their jobs, the last thing that Americans need is to have their health care coverage ripped out from under them or to lose protections for pre-existing conditions.

"The administration's continued efforts to undermine Americans' health care is deeply troubling in normal times, but in the midst of a public health crisis, it is especially dangerous. Repealing this law would also eliminate the primary federal office tasked with preparing for and responding to public health emergencies - which would make combating this deadly virus even harder.

"I urge the administration to drop this partisan lawsuit and actually work across party lines to protect the public health and help lower health care costs.

"I will also continue to push the administration to heed the bipartisan calls of my colleagues and finally create a special enrollment period so that those who do not currently have health insurance have an opportunity to sign up for it amid this pandemic."

Along with expanding insurance coverage to millions of Americans, the Affordable Care Act also created the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Prevention and Public Health Fund, which has been central to the federal government's efforts to combat COVID-19 and would be eliminated if the law were repealed.

In March, Senator Hassan joined her colleagues in 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.