Administration Will Urge Supreme Court to Strike Down ACA

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) protects access to health care for people with intellectual / developmental disabilities’ (I/DD) by guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing conditions. The Medicaid expansion provisions offered by the ACA also improve access to health care for many in the Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce, which supports people with disabilities to stay healthy, safe and engaged in the community. For these reasons, ANCOR regularly reports on litigation affecting the future of the ACA.

Now, Politico is reporting the Trump administration’s latest attempt to repeal the ACA by urging the Supreme Court to strike it down as unconstitutional:

“President Donald Trump on Wednesday said his administration will urge the Supreme Court to overturn Obamacare, maintaining its all-out legal assault on the health care law amid a pandemic that will drive millions of more Americans to depend on its coverage.

The administration appears to be doubling down on its legal strategy, even after Attorney General William Barr this week warned top Trump officials about the political ramifications of undermining the health care safety net during the coronavirus emergency.

[…]

The Justice Department had a Wednesday deadline to change its position in a case brought by Republican-led states, but Trump told reporters Wednesday afternoon his administration would stand firm. DOJ declined to comment.

[…]

The Justice Department had a Wednesday deadline to change its position in a case brought by Republican-led states, but Trump told reporters Wednesday afternoon his administration would stand firm. DOJ declined to comment.

About 20 million people have been covered by Obamacare, and the law is expected to provide a major safety net during the economic freefall brought on by the coronavirus. Millions more are expected to join the Medicaid rolls, especially in states that joined Obamacare’s expansion to poor adults. Others who lost workplace health insurance can sign up on the law’s health insurance marketplaces, though the Trump administration isn’t doing much to advertise coverage options.”