NHF Responds to SCOTUS: New Affordable Care Act Ruling Benefits Chronic Disease Patients
Dr. Valentino: “Today’s decision protects members of the inheritable blood disorder community, as well as others”
Today, the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) released a decision in California v. Texas, the most recent lawsuit concerning the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF), the leading national advocacy organization for the inheritable blood disorders community, believes that this decision will reassure the 3.2 million individuals in the U.S. with rare blood conditions that the consumer protections provided by the ACA remain law.
In a 7-2 decision, the Court ruled that the people who filed the original lawsuit do not have standing to file the suit alleging harm of the individual mandate, since the penalty has been zeroed out. The lawsuit was dismissed on these grounds. The Court did not go further and consider the constitutionality of the mandate itself, nor whether it could be separated from the rest of the law.
The practical impact of the decision means that the ACA is upheld as-is and remains the law of the land.
“Thankfully, today’s decision didn’t undermine or repeal the overall ACA law, which would have dragged the inheritable blood disorders community back into a broken system,” said NHF CEO and President, Dr. Leonard Valentino. “NHF continues to support the ACA and the opportunities it has provided to the inheritable blood disorders community to gain and maintain insurance in a better functioning and more just health care system for everybody.”
Considering today’s positive decision, NHF is still deeply committed to leading the advocacy charge for patients nationwide, says Nathan Schaefer, NHF’s vice president of public policy. “NHF has been leading the charge to ensure the critical ACA patient protections remain in place to protect those with bleeding disorders. Every year about 500 community members convene in the nation’s capital to explain the importance of protections for those with pre-existing conditions, the high cost of treating inheritable blood disorders, and how the ACA ensures continuity of care for patients across the country. This vital advocacy element of our mission has proven beneficial to even broader, and more vulnerable patient populations. Our dedication to this advocacy remains as resolute as ever.”
NHF joined other advocacy groups in submitting an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in response to this case. Read it here.
Source: National Hemophilia Foundation