The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, Executive Director of health consumer organization Families USA, in reaction to the arguments of the Virginia Attorney General against the Affordable Care Act in federal district court in Richmond today.
“Today’s argument by the Virginia Attorney General represented political extremism and requested judicial activism run amok—to the potential harm of families across America.
“The Attorney General contested only one portion of the statute, the part that established individual responsibility to purchase health coverage. No other provision of the legislation, among the hundreds of improvements that the law provides, was contested or argued as being unconstitutional.
“However, at the conclusion of the argument, the Attorney General’s position was that everything in the Affordable Care Act should be stricken. If he were to succeed, all the benefits of this legislation would be lost.
“It means that young adults would not be able to stay on their parents' policies until their 26th birthday, as the law allows.
“It means that seniors would lose the benefits of closing the prescription drug coverage gap known as the ‘doughnut hole.’
“It means that small businesses would lose the tax credits they are receiving under the statute to help them pay for their employees’ policies.
“It means that the middle-income tax credit to make premiums affordable for families would be lost.
“It means that people with major illnesses, cancer, or heart attack, would no longer be protected because insurance companies would be allowed to place a cap on insurance payments.
“In sum, the Attorney General is overreaching and, in the process, would harm businesses and families across the country.”
