Sen. Reed Issues Statement on Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following statement:

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With a key court filing deadline looming, U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr reportedly made the case to top Trump officials this week urging them to abandon a partisan lawsuit aimed at getting the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

"This Trump backed lawsuit is a disaster that would harm public health in the midst of a pandemic. Even the Attorney General realizes how toxic and damaging it would be to repeal Obamacare. The American people are sick and tired of the President's attempts to strip away their health care rights and protections.

"Congress needs to step up and do everything it can to ensure that health care is accessible and affordable. If the Trump Administration follows through with its lawsuit it could mean higher premiums and fewer protections for all Americans."

Reed noted that if the Trump-backed Republican lawsuit were to succeed, it would mean 20 million Americans losing their health care and 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions losing key protections. This would be awful at any time but particularly calamitous as the nation continues to grapple with a pandemic.

This past year, 8.3 million people purchased or re-enrolled in Obamacare health plans using the HealthCare.gov platform during the 2020 open enrollment period, which the Trump Administration closed on December 15, 2019.

Senator Reed has urged the Trump Administration to reopen the Obamacare enrollment window to ensure more Americans can purchase affordable health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic.