FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thurs., June 17, 2021
Contact: Adam Fox, 303-563-9108, afox@cohealthinitiative.org
Katie Reinisch, 303-653-1009, katie@progressive-promotions.
DENVER – Today, the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative praised the Supreme Court ruling solidifying the Affordable Care Act as the centerpiece of the American healthcare system and rejecting Republican and Trump-led efforts to deny health coverage to hundreds of thousands of Coloradans. The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue against the ACA because they could not demonstrate past or future harm as the penalty for not having insurance was removed in the 2017 Republican tax bill.
“Today, the Court affirmed that our health care system will remain intact for the 600,000 Coloradans who now have affordable coverage, coverage they did not have prior to the ACA,” said Adela Flores-Brennan, executive director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative. “The ACA has withstood repeated attacks from the Trump administration in Congress and various Republican led efforts in the courts. Ultimately, the highest court in the land ruled that in this case, the plaintiffs did not have standing as they could not demonstrate harm under the law since Republicans themselves removed the penalty for going without insurance. Hopefully, Republicans are done playing games with Americans’ health.”
“This ruling is a victory for ACA enrollees, people with pre-existing conditions, and those who have long faced unfair and discriminatory barriers to coverage and care, including Black and brown people, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities and low-income people.”
“Enough is enough. The ACA has been the law of the land for more than a decade and benefits all Americans. No more attacks. No more fringe lawsuits should be tolerated. This ruling was the only legally and constitutionally sound option, as evidenced by widespread criticism of the lawsuit from across the ideological spectrum, including from architects of previous challenges to the ACA and even two Republican attorneys general.”
“CCHI and other consumer advocates will continue to fight to make coverage and care more affordable—Congress and the legislature must build on the ACA’s success by like we are doing in our state with the Colorado Option that will lower premiums, reduce deductibles, and copayments, and the Prescription Drug Affordability Board lowering prescription drug costs.”
The opinion is posted here.
Colorado Consumer Health Initiative is a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that represents 40+ Colorado health organizations with more than 500,000 health care consumers advocating for equitable access to high-quality, affordable health care. In 2018, CCHI received the “Get Wise” Consumer Protection award from the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA).
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