RICHMOND (July 9, 2019) – Oral arguments take place this afternoon inTexas v. United States, a dangerous lawsuit backed by the Trump Administration that could rip healthcare coverage away from millions of Americans, increase premiums and healthcare costs, and end protections for millions of Americans with preexisting conditions, including 3.4 million Virginians who currently benefit from these protections.
In order to protect Virginians’ healthcare, Attorney General Herring and his colleagues intervened to defend the Affordable Care Act in this lawsuit after President Trump switched sides and joined with Republican state attorneys general in trying to strike down the law. When a district court judge in Texas issued a decision in December 2018 finding the ACA to be unconstitutional, Attorney General Herring and his colleagues immediately appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which will hear arguments today in New Orleans.
If the Trump Administration is successful with this lawsuit, an estimated 642,000 Virginians could lose their healthcare coverage and the 3,441,400 Virginians with pre-existing conditions would lose their protections.
“President Trump has made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t understand how the healthcare system works or what the Affordable Care Act does, and that he and Congressional Republicans have absolutely no plan to provide coverage for millions of Americans with preexisting conditions,” said Attorney General Herring. “The Trump Administration cannot continue to play politics with the lives, health, and economic well-being of Americans. If this lawsuit is somehow successful, millions of Virginians, and tens of millions of Americans, would lose coverage and protections for preexisting conditions, while those who actually can get coverage would face higher costs. My colleagues and I will do everything we can to protect the Affordable Care Act and the millions who rely on it for health care.”
If the Trump Administration is successful in eliminating the ACA with this lawsuit:
- 642,000 Virginians could lose their health coverage, leading to a 96% increase in the uninsured rate in the Commonwealth
- The 3,441,400 Virginians who have pre-existing conditions would lose their protections and insurance companies would be able to deny or drop coverage and charge more for those pre-existing conditions
- 289,081 Virginians in the marketplace would have to pay more for their coverage
- 109,517 Virginia seniors could have to pay more for their prescription drugs
- Insurance companies would be allowed to discriminate against women by charging them higher premiums
- $1.15 billion in tax credits that helped 335,000 Virginians afford insurance in 2017 would be ended
- Funding from our nation’s public health system would be stripped, including work to combat the opioid epidemic
- Billions in federal aid for health care would be stripped, including $458 million in FY 2019 and $1.9 billion in FY 2020
Attorney General Herring and his colleagues highlighted the consequences of upholding the district court’s decision, which would wreak havoc on the entire American health care system and risk lives in every state. If affirmed, the district court’s decision would affect nearly every American, including:
- 133 million Americans, including 17 million kids, with preexisting health conditions
- Young adults under 26 years of age, who are covered under a parent’s health plan
- More than 12 million Americans who received coverage through Medicaid expansion
- 12 million seniors who receive a Medicare benefit to afford prescription drugs
- Working families who rely on tax credits and employer-sponsored plans to afford insurance
After failing to repeal the ACA in Congress, Republican attorneys general and the Trump Administration are pushing this case based on a novel theory that the Republican tax bill passed in 2017 somehow rendered the entire ACA unconstitutional.
On December 14, 2018, Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas issued his decision agreeing with the plaintiffs. In response, Attorney General Herring and his colleagues filed a motion to stay the effect of that decision and to expedite resolution of this case. The District Court granted that motion on December 30, 2018. On January 3, 2019, the coalition continued their legal defense in the ACA and formally filed a notice of appeal, challenging the District Court’s December 14 opinion in the Fifth Circuit.
In March of this year, Attorney General Herring and the coalition of state attorneys general filed their opening brief arguing that the plaintiffs do not have standing to challenge the minimum coverage provision, because the individual plaintiffs are not injured by a provision that now offers a lawful choice between buying insurance and paying a zero-dollar tax. The attorneys general further argue that the state plaintiffs also lack standing, because there is no evidence that the amended provision will require them to spend more money. Lastly, the District Court wrongly concluded that the minimum coverage provision was unconstitutional, and even if it were, there would be no legal basis for also declaring the rest of the ACA invalid—including its provisions expanding Medicaid, reforming Medicare, and providing protections to individuals with preexisting health conditions.
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