Today, Rep. Al Lawson (Fl-05) voted to pass H.Res. 271, a resolution condemning the Trump Administration's participation in the Texas v. U.S. health care lawsuit seeking to strike down protections for people with pre-existing conditions and the entirety of the Affordable Care Act, and calling on the Department of Justice to reverse its position in the case.
"We should ensure every American has access to affordable health care," Rep. Lawson said. "Individuals with pre-existing conditions have the right to seek medical attention and creating barriers for them would be disgraceful. The reversal of the Affordable Care Act will inhibit Americans from receiving accessible and affordable health care."
The resolution adopted today states that "the actions taken by the Trump Administration seeking the invalidation of the ACA's protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and later the invalidation of the entire ACA, are an unacceptable assault on the health care of the American people," and that the Justice Department should "cease any and all efforts to destroy Americans' access to affordable health care; and reverse its position in Texas v. United States."
On March 25, the Trump Administration expanded the scope of its attack on the health law, asking the court in Texas v. U.S. not only to strike down protections for people with pre-existing conditions, but to eliminate every provision of the ACA. In January, House Democrats voted to authorize the counsel of the House of Representatives to throw its full legal weight against the suit.
Since its full implementation in 2014, the ACA has provided critical protections for the 130 million people in the U.S. with pre-existing conditions, including the 7,810,300 Floridians with pre-existing conditions. If the courts agree with the Trump Administration's position, the following provisions would be struck down:
* Protections for people with pre-existing conditions;
* The ban on lifetime and annual limits on health coverage;
* The Medicaid expansion covering 15 million Americans;
* Health insurance affordability tax credits assisting 9 million Americans;
* Bans on discriminatory insurance practices that force women to pay more for coverage;
* Young adults' ability to remain on their parents' insurance until age 26, and more.
"While Republicans enable this outrageous assault on Floridians' health care, Democrats are here to lower Americans' health costs and prescription drug prices," Rep. Lawson said.
Last week, House Democrats unveiled new action to reverse the GOP's health care sabotage and lower families' health insurance costs by introducing with the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act, H.R. 1884.