Shaheen, Hassan & Colleagues to Trump Administration: Don't Rip Away Health Care for Millions During Public Health Crisis

Press Release

As the Trump Administration continues its efforts to dismantle the health care law that provides coverage for millions of Americans, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced a resolution with U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and their colleagues putting in the official Senate record their condemnation of that "reckless" effort and demanding the Department of Justice (DOJ) to defend existing law in court and halt its efforts to repeal the health care protections for millions -- including 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions-- in the middle of a public health emergency.

"In continuing to support this reckless lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act, Republicans have chosen blind partisanship over the health and well-being of the American people," said Senator Shaheen. "Not only is tearing away health care from millions of Americans in the midst of a pandemic cruel and unconscionable, but it also threatens to return us to the days where access to health care coverage was out of reach for far too many and when pre-existing condition protections didn't exist. It's time for Republican leaders to stop playing political games with Americans' lives and work instead with Democrats to lower health care and prescription drug costs and expand access to quality health care coverage for all."

"It is shameful that even during a national public health crisis, Republicans continue to try to rip health care coverage away from millions of Americans and strip protections for people with pre-existing conditions," Senator Hassan said. "I am proud to stand with my fellow Democratic Senators to introduce this resolution strongly opposing this dangerous, partisan lawsuit. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to drop these attacks on Americans' health care and work with us to lower health care costs and strengthen the federal response to this pandemic."

Last week, the DOJ and a group of Republican Attorneys General submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court urging it to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and pull the rug out from underneath the millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions who depend on the law for health care coverage. If the Supreme Court agrees and overturns the ACA, 105,000 Granite Staters could lose coverage, including more than 57,000 Granite Staters enrolled through Medicaid expansion.

Additionally, more than 571,000 Granite Staters who have pre-existing conditions could once again face annual or lifetime caps, medical underwriting for their insurance coverage, or denials for the care they need. Across the board, the state would lose billions of dollars in federal funds, causing significant job losses and jeopardizing the viability of New Hampshire's hospitals. All of this in the midst of a global health crisis that has already strapped providers across New Hampshire.

The resolution urges DOJ to reverse its position and instead protect the millions of people who rely on the ACA for health care coverage amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has infected more than 2.4 million Americans and killed more than 125,000.

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