June 30, 2015
By SEIU President Mary Kay Henry
Washington, D.C. – The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the tax credits affirms that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. Nearly 90 percent of the men, women, and children in this country now have access to affordable insurance and can get the preventive care they need, and refill lifesaving medications.
This ruling should send a strong message to Republican leaders in Congress, once and for all, just how out of touch they are in their ongoing efforts to undermine the law, and it's time to get to work on expanding care to the 10 percent left out.
In the last five years, extremist Republicans have tried and failed through two Supreme Court cases and 56 votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act and have no plan for a replacement. Not one man or woman, grandparent or child, has gained healthcare coverage from these efforts. It's the very law that extremists are trying to do away with–Obamacare– that has increased access to care for millions.
Despite the relentless attacks by extremist Republicans to undermine the Affordable Care Act, there is no denying the law's success: more Americans have healthcare coverage than at any time on record; individuals can no longer be dropped by an insurance company because of a pre-existing condition such as asthma or high blood pressure; women can no longer be charged more for their coverage; and 137 million women and men are benefiting from preventive care.
After her husband passed away five years ago from a lengthy illness that forced the family into bankruptcy, Claudette Newsome of Houston, Texas, wanted nothing more than to stay healthy for her two young daughters. Thanks to the $385 per month tax credit she receives, she's been able to afford insurance for her whole family, while continuing to pay student loans from the classes she's taken to further her career. Now, because of this decision, she can continue to take charge of her health, keeping her healthcare coverage, her scheduled checkups and regular mammograms.
And for Marilyn Ralat-Albernas, a registered nurse in Florida, the law isn't about politics. It's about the noticeable improvements in babies' health and moms' readiness to care for their infants because families have access to affordable coverage. Women are having regular prenatal exams, ultrasounds to track fetal development, and are becoming better educated about caring for their baby following delivery.
Millions of Americans regardless of political party are benefiting from the Affordable Care Act and it's time for congressional Republicans to stop trying to take away health and financial peace of mind the law brings to our country's working families.
Working families will remember who fought against the ACA, who greased the gears for attacks against it in the courts, and which politicians have voted to repeal the law without offering a single plausible plan as a replacement. In 2016, the extremists who are risking the healthcare of millions of people will be held responsible.
