La Crosse, WI — Today, Rep. Ron Kind joined his colleagues in condemning the Administration’s continued legal assault on existing health care coverage and urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in court.
Currently the DOJ has decided to not defend the ACA’s constitutionality in court, with the United States Supreme Court set to hear oral arguments on Texas v. U.S. this fall. If successful, the Administration’s lawsuit would strike down protections for people with pre-existing conditions and the entirety of the ACA, putting health care for Wisconsinites who live with a pre-existing condition and Wisconsinites who purchased their health care on the ACA exchange at risk.
“As the COVID-19 crisis continues, it has never been more important for Wisconsin families to have access to quality, affordable health care,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “Over half of all Wisconsinites stand to lose their coverage if this lawsuit is successful. In the midst of a global pandemic, the last thing Wisconsin families should have to worry about is whether or not they will lose their health care. We need to work together to protect and improve the Affordable Care Act, not tear it down without any replacement. Rest assured I will continue to fight for those with pre-existing conditions and protect Wisconsinites’ access to affordable coverage.”
The ACA has improved health care coverage across the country and introduced life-saving protections for those with pre-existing conditions since it was enacted in 2010. Dismantling the ACA would cause 224,000 Wisconsinites to lose their health insurance, threaten vital access to Medicare, and raise drug prices. Additionally, 2.5 million Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions could be denied coverage if insurance companies are allowed to discriminate on this basis.
In 2019, Rep. Kind voted for the House of Representatives to intervene and defend the Affordable Care Act on behalf of the American people and has consistently voted to protect Wisconsinites’ access to quality, affordable health care amidst these ongoing attacks. In 2018, Rep. Kind called on former Attorney General Brad Schimel and former Governor Scott Walker to immediately withdraw from Texas v. U.S. (previously listed as Texas v. Azar). In 2019, Governor Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul, officially removed Wisconsin’s name and support from the lawsuit, and reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the ACA remains the law of the land.
Rep. Kind is a member of the Health Subcommittee on the Ways and Means Committee, the most powerful – and the oldest – committee in the House of Representatives. It has jurisdiction over tax measures, the management of public debt, trade and tariff laws, Social Security, Medicare, pensions, and many other economic growth measures.
Read the resolution here.
