Slotkin Statement on Court Ruling on Trump Administration Lawsuit to Strike down the Affordable Care Act

Statement

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) released the following statement following a federal appeals court decision on a lawsuit led by the Trump Administration and Republican elected officials, ruling that the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional, and sending the case back to a district court to determine if the entire ACA should be overturned with this provision severed.

Slotkin's mother passed away in 2011 of ovarian cancer after struggling for years to access care due to her pre-existing condition. Slotkin's experience with her mother was a primary motivation behind her run for Congress. As a new member, Slotkin has made lowering the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs a top priority.

"I know what it's like to have a loved one face a terminal diagnosis, and struggle to afford care -- just like so many Michiganders," Slotkin said. "I am deeply disappointed to hear that an appeals court has struck down a key part of the Affordable Care Act in a ruling on the Trump Administration's lawsuit to eliminate the ACA in its entirety and take healthcare away from 720,000 Michiganders."

"We are not settled as a country on how we will provide healthcare to our people -- but I believe we have evolved as a nation to agree on fundamental principles: that everyone deserves access to healthcare they can afford, that you shouldn't be gouged just for having a pre-existing condition, and that if you get sick, you shouldn't go broke."

"The court's decision today takes us in the wrong direction. As the President prepares to address Michiganders at his rally tonight, I hope he explains why he is leading a legal offensive to take away life-saving coverage which would result in raising healthcare and prescription drug costs for people in our state," Slotkin added.

If the Trump Administration's lawsuit is successful in overturning the Affordable Care Act:

-720,000 Michiganders could lose coverage. According to the Urban Institute, 720,000 Michiganders would lose coverage by repealing the Affordable Care Act, leading to a 115 percent increase in the uninsured rate.
-73,000 Michigan young adults with their parents' coverage could lose care. Because of the Affordable Care Act, millions of young adults are able to stay on their parents' care until age 26.
-29,000 Michigan children could lose their coverage. Almost three million children nationwide gained coverage thanks to the ACA. If the law is overturned, many of these children will lose their insurance.
-4,543,547 Michiganders could once again have to pay for preventive care. Because of the ACA, health plans must cover preventive services -- like flu shots, cancer screenings, contraception, and mammograms -- at no cost to consumers. This includes nearly 4,543,547 Michiganders, most of whom have employer coverage.
-Insurance companies could charge premium surcharges in the six figures. If the Trump Administration's lawsuit is successful, insurance companies would be able to charge people more because of a pre-existing condition. The healthcare repeal bill the House passed in 2017 had a similar provision, and an analysis by the Center for American Progress found that insurers could charge up to $4,270 more for asthma, $17,060 more for pregnancy, $26,180 more for rheumatoid arthritis and $140,510 more for metastatic cancer.
-Women could be charged more than men for the same coverage. Prior to the ACA, women were often charged premiums on the nongroup market of up to 50 percent higher than they charged men for the same coverage.
-People over the age of 50 could face a $3,357 "age tax" in Michigan. Insurance companies would be able to charge people over 50 more than younger people. The Affordable Care Act limited the amount older people could be charged to three times more than younger people. If insurers were to charge five times more, as was proposed in the Republican repeal bills, that would add an average "age tax" of $4,124 for a 60-year-old in the individual market, including 3,357 in Michigan, according to the AARP.
-219,996 Michiganders in the Marketplaces would pay more for coverage. If the Trump Administration's lawsuit is successful, consumers would no longer have access to tax credits that help them pay their marketplace premiums, meaning roughly nine million people who receive these tax credits to pay for coverage will have to pay more, including 219,996 in Michigan.
-203,864 Michigan seniors could have to pay more for prescription drugs. If the Trump Administration's lawsuit is successful, seniors could have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare "donut" hole would be reopened. From 2010 to 2016, "More than 11.8 million Medicare beneficiaries have received discounts over $26.8 billion on prescription drugs -- an average of $2,272 per beneficiary," according to a January 2017 CMS report. In Michigan, 203,864 seniors each saved an average of $1,307.

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