Today the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals released its ruling in Texas v. United States or the health care repeal lawsuit, pushed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an attempt to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare). “It is appalling that Texas state leaders are trying to take health coverage away from Texans,” said Stacey Pogue, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities. “It’s important to remember that the Affordable Care Act is still the law of the land. Nothing changes right away because of today’s ruling.” If you just picked a plan for 2020 on HealthCare.Gov, you will still have coverage and need to keep paying premiums to maintain that coverage. Most Texans who buy Marketplace coverage get financial help to lower their premiums, making coverage affordable, and that financial help remains in place. If circumstances in your life change – like losing job-based health insurance or getting married – you may still be able to enroll in 2020 coverage through a “special enrollment period.” Free in-person enrollment assistance is available in communities across the state. You can find local enrollment assistance contacts here. Observers expect that this lawsuit will eventually be appealed up to the Supreme Court. The stakes in this lawsuit are high for Texas and our health care system. If courts ultimately strike down the Affordable Care Act, 1.7 million Texans would lose their health care coverage and people with pre-existing conditions – like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and asthma — would lose the strong protections they have today. This lawsuit to take away coverage with no replacement stands in stark contrast with what Texans want. Poll after poll shows Texans want lawmakers to maintain pre-existing condition protections and focus on improving access to health care; not take health care away. Texans who are fed up that leaders in the state with the worst uninsured rate are actively trying to make it worse should join the new campaign #SickOfItTX at www.sickofittx.com. ###
Contact: Oliver Bernstein, CPPP, 512.289.8618 | 
