Judge’s Ruling on Affordable Care Act Gives Green Light to Implementation

Ruling Says Implementation Should Go Forward Pending Appeal

Today, Federal District Court Judge Roger Vinson ruled that implementation of the Affordable Care Act can continue while the federal government appeals his earlier decision, which declared the Act to be unconstitutional. Families USA, the national organization for health care consumers, participated in a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the law. The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, about the ruling:

“Today’s ruling by Judge Vinson is a victory for common sense. Three federal judges have ruled that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. Even the one judge who shares JudgeVinson’s view on the individual responsibility provision held that the implementation of the rest of the law should continue. It would have been bizarre and inappropriate for one judge to halt implementation of the entire law while appeals continue.

“Millions of Americans are already receiving benefits under the Affordable Care Act. While the constitutionality of the individual responsibility provision is sorted out by higher courts, the many other unrelated provisions of the law are making health care better and more affordable. Benefits include:

• Parents can now add their young adult children to their health plans;
• Children with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage;
• Thousands of Americans with expensive pre-existing conditions are now covered through Pre-existing Condition Plans;
• Millions of seniors and people with disabilities are saving money on their prescription drugs;
• Medicare beneficiaries are receiving preventive care services with no deductibles or copayments;
• Small businesses are covering their workers as new tax credits make such coverage affordable;
• Employers are covering early retirees with the help of new subsidies;
• States are able to strengthen oversight of insurance companies thanks to new federal grants;
• States are laying the groundwork for new health insurance marketplaces thanks to federal planning grants.

“All the important work of implementing the Affordable Care Act should now continue uninterrupted at the state and federal levels. We are further confident that, when the appeals process has run its course, the entire Affordable Care Act will be upheld and that our nation will move much closer to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health coverage and care for all Americans.”

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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