Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in the ongoing legal challenge to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The case, brought by Texas and other conservative state attorneys general, questioned the constitutionality of the law in light of Congress zeroing out the individual mandate penalty as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in 2017. The court ruled that the conservative states lacked standing to bring the challenge because they incurred no injury by zeroing out the mandate. In response, Maura Calsyn, acting vice president of Health Policy at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
For years, leading legal experts have said that this attempt to repeal the ACA in its entirety is meritless, and we’re glad to see a majority of the Supreme Court affirm their thinking.
The ACA provides coverage for 31 million Americans and has improved the health and financial security for tens of millions of people with preexisting conditions. After more than a decade of lawsuits, it is still standing and stronger than ever thanks to the American Rescue Plan and President Joe Biden’s decisive leadership.
It’s time for our leaders to work together to build on the law—not take it away— by, among other reforms, creating an affordable coverage option for people in the Medicaid gap, lowering prescription drug prices; combating racial disparities in the health care system; and addressing the mental health crisis brought to the fore by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Colin Seeberger at [email protected] or 202-741-6292.