Supreme Court Grants California Review of ACA Repeal Case

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, leading a coalition of 20 states and D.C., applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to review a case that seeks to repeal the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) and put tens of millions of Americans’ healthcare at risk. The court agreed to review a recent Fifth Circuit decision that held the ACA’s individual mandate unconstitutional and called into question whether the remaining provisions of the law could still stand. Those important ACA provisions include coverage for the 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, subsidies that help working families afford healthcare, investments in public health programs to prevent and combat public health threats like the opioid epidemic, and support lab capacity and immunization infrastructure for threats like the novel coronavirus.

“Our health is the most precious resource we have—we should all be working to improve healthcare, instead of ripping coverage away from those most in need,” said Attorney General Becerra. “As Texas and the Trump Administration fight to disrupt our healthcare system and the coverage that millions rely upon, we look forward to making our case in defense of the ACA. American lives depend upon it.”   

Attorney General Becerra’s coalition petitioned the Supreme Court for review in order to protect Americans’ healthcare and resolve the uncertainty created by the Fifth Circuit decision, which threatens the health of millions of Americans, as well as doctors, clinics, and the healthcare market. 

California and its coalition will lead the defense of the ACA in order to protect the important advancements in healthcare access made under the law, including:

• More than 12 million Americans receiving coverage through Medicaid expansion;

• Nearly 9 million individuals nationwide receiving tax credits to help afford health insurance coverage through individual marketplaces;

• Millions of working families relying on high-quality employer-sponsored insurance plans; 

• Important protections prohibiting insurers from denying health insurance to the 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions (like diabetes, cancer, or pregnancy) or from charging individuals higher premiums because of their health status; and

• Nearly $1.3 trillion in federal funding being dedicated to keeping Americans healthy and covered, including Medicaid expansion and public health dollars.

Joining Attorney General Becerra in defending the ACA are the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota (by and through its Department of Commerce), Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia, as well as the Governor of Kentucky.