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Statement

Adverse U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in California v. Texas Would Make America Sicker, Poorer, With Millions More Uninsured

November 10, 2020
Health Care

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of leaders of MomsRising, an on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on this morning’s oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in California v. Texas:

“Moms and families have a tremendous amount at stake in California v. Texas, the case the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing this morning. A ruling in favor of Texas and the Trump administration would throw our health care system into disarray in the midst of a deadly, raging pandemic. It would return us to the time when insurers charged women more than men for the same plans; denied coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, prescription drugs, maternity care, and mental health services; and imposed caps that took our coverage away when we got sick and needed it most.

“An adverse ruling would leave few people unscathed. Twenty million people would lose their health insurance and more than 130 million people with pre-existing conditions, most of them women, would be unable to get affordable coverage – or any coverage at all, even as COVID-19 gives millions more of us a pre-existing condition. It would end the Medicaid expansion that has covered millions and throw adult children off their moms’ and dads’ insurance policies. It would strip funding from our country’s public health system, just when we need it most. It would devastate millions of moms and families and make our country sicker, poorer, and with millions more uninsured. The dangers this case poses would be even more deadly during the pandemic and economic crisis it created.

“President Trump and his unprincipled allies in the U.S. Senate packed the U.S. Supreme Court with conservative ideologues. Trump’s legacy will be even more shameful if his Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act, which has saved countless lives and become a cornerstone of our health care system for a decade now. America’s moms call on the new Congress to secure and strengthen this essential law.”

-Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising

“Despite trying dozens of times, the Trump administration failed to overturn the ACA in Congress because Americans support and recognize the value of this law. Now the administration and 18 Republican-led states are trying to overturn the ACA in the courts. A ruling in favor of the Trump administration and Texas would be a disaster for moms, families and our country.

“That must not happen. This lawsuit puts millions of us at risk. This is repeal without the replace President Trump has been promising since he first ran for office, but never delivered on. Tens of thousands of MomsRising volunteers have spoken out against Trump’s irresponsible attacks on the Affordable Care Act and it is clear these attacks on our health care were a driving force behind the election of President-Elect Joe Biden last week.

“We are stronger and more successful when we all have access to quality, affordable health coverage and care. We urge the new Congress to make preserving and strengthening this law a high priority soon after it is sworn in.”

-Statement of Felicia Burnett, National DIrector for Health Care, MomsRising

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.