The 3rd Time is The Charm (It's Still a BFD!)

As you may have heard, the U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed California v Texas, the case aiming to overturn the ACA. The Court decided 7-2 that the plaintiffs in the case were not harmed by the zeroing out of the individual mandate penalty, meaning the case cannot stand. Which is a roundabout way to say - THE ACA REMAINS THE LAW.

This is the third time the Court has upheld the ACA as a law.

ACA Consumer Advocacy enthusiastically applauds this decision. From the beginning, the case was deemed spurious by legal scholars on both sides of the aisle.

The health care protections put in place by the passage of the ACA will continue to stand:

• Enrollment in health insurance on the exchanges
• Guaranteed coverage of medical histories (pre-existing conditions)
• Medicaid expansion plans
• Caps on annual and lifetime limits
• Guaranteed wellness coverage, including cancer screenings and annual checkups
• Guaranteed coverage of the essential 10 benefits
• Premium subsidies, and so much more.

Now is a time to celebrate, take a deep breath, and then refocus. There is much to celebrate in the ACA, but there is also much to fix and improve. We are committed to the full realization of comprehensive, universal, affordable, accessible, high-quality, and fully equitable health care for all and look forward to working with you to achieve that.

Remember, if you or someone you know needs health insurance, there is a special enrollment period going on now at www.healthcare.gov. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, those who did not qualify for premium subsidy assistance before now do, and those who had received subsidies are eligible for more. If you are enrolled on the federal exchange, check www.healthcare.gov, click on 'change of life' and access your new subsidies, or even change your current plan. If you were waiting to enroll because of the court case, now is the time to get covered!

Thank you for all you do to make the world a better place, and let's keep going!