Yet Another Legal Victory for the Affordable Care Act

DC Circuit Is Third Appellate Court to Uphold the Act

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, the Executive Director of the consumer health organization Families USA (which was a signatory on a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the law), on today’s developments:

“Today’s ruling by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is yet another victory for the Affordable Care Act. The court, made up of judges appointed by Presidents of both political parties, recognized that health care makes up a substantial portion of the national economy, and that Congress has the power to regulate that market. The unanimous rejection of the challenge by a panel of judges from across the ideological spectrum augurs well for the law’s prospects at the Supreme Court.

“This is the third appellate court to reject challenges to the law, following decisions in the Sixth and Fourth Circuits. Only the Eleventh Circuit has issued a mixed decision, in which it upheld all of the law’s provisions other than the individual mandate. We expect that if the Supreme Court follows existing precedents, it will reach the same conclusion as the majority of the appellate courts and uphold the law in its entirety.”

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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