Families USA Statement on Denial of Dismissal of Virginia Lawsuit against Health Reform Law

The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, in response to the United States District Court for Eastern District of Virginia denying the dismissal of Commonwealth of Virginia v. Sebelius:

“Today, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia denied the federal government’s Motion to Dismiss in the case of Commonwealth of Virginia v. Sebelius, Virginia’s challenge to the health reform law. This means that the suit will proceed to the next stage of litigation. According to Families USA, the voice for health care consumers, however, the decision will not slow the implementation of the new law, which promises to improve health care for millions of Americans.

“Today’s decision by the District Court to deny the government’s Motion to Dismiss Virginia’s challenge to the Affordable Care Act has no effect on the validity of the health reform law. The arguments raised today were merely procedural—whether or not Virginia even had the right to challenge the law. The case now moves to another stage, in which the court will evaluate the constitutionality of the law itself.

“We fully expect that the court will ultimately uphold the law. Numerous constitutional law experts have 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 32 million 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 substantially more help is on the way.”

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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