Families USA Statement on Partial Dismissal of Florida Lawsuit against Health Care Reform Law

The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, Executive Director of the consumer health organization Families USA, in response to the federal district court’s decision in Florida partially dismissing the constitutional challenge to the health reform law:

“Today, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida granted in part and denied in part the federal government’s Motion to Dismiss in the lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act filed by the attorney general in Florida and a number of other states. This means that the suit will proceed to the next stage of litigation.

“The decision will not slow the implementation of the new law, which promises to improve health care for millions of Americans.

“Today’s decision has no effect on the validity of the health reform law. The arguments raised at this stage were merely procedural—whether or not the plaintiffs even had the right to challenge the law. The Court appropriately found that most of claims raised were completely without merit. As with the similar case filed in Virginia, the case now moves to another stage, in which the court will evaluate the constitutionality of the law itself.

“We fully expect that the courts, as occurred in Michigan last week, will ultimately uphold the law. Numerous constitutional law experts have also concluded that the law is clearly constitutional.

“This case is really a politically motivated ploy aimed at diverting attention from the many benefits of the new law. These benefits include protecting people with pre-existing conditions from denials of coverage and unaffordable premiums, requiring insurance companies to set fair premiums for everyone, improving Medicare for seniors and people with disabilities, and helping small businesses that want to provide coverage to their workers. What’s more, within a few years, low- and middle-income families will receive new premium tax credit subsidies to purchase health insurance, and tens of millions of Americans who currently lack health insurance will have affordable coverage.

“The decision today should not distract states and the federal government from focusing on implementing the new law in the most effective way possible. The benefits of the new law are just becoming apparent, and substantial help is on the way to families across America.” 

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Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 1100 · Washington, DC 20005
202-628-3030 · Email: info@familiesusa.org · www.familiesusa.org