It was a busy week for healthcare! House Democrats introduced the “Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019” which would protect health coverage for more than 50 million people with pre-existing conditions, extend coverage to millions more, and make plans sold through the health insurance marketplaces more affordable. The legislation would reinvest in proven strategies to increase enrollment in health coverage, reversing actions the Trump Administration has taken to prevent people from learning about their insurance options and getting assistance with the enrollment process. The bill would also prevent health insurers from selling skimpy, “junk” insurance plans which the Trump Administration began allowing last year.
But as House Democrats are moving forward to improve and strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Trump Administration announced that it now supports a federal district court decision that would strike down the entire ACA and as such, no longer plans to defend the law in court. This call for a “judicial repeal” of the ACA means the Administration is hoping the courts will do what it failed to achieve through Congress—a full repeal of the ACA. If this strategy is successful, it will have dire consequences for millions of children and adults who have gained health coverage—and coverage protections—through the ACA and would be catastrophic for our health care system and economy.