The Center for Medicare Advocacy is relieved that the Supreme Court has left the Affordable Care Act (ACA) intact as the law of the land. Today’s decision in California v. Texas is critical for the older adults and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare. They will continue to benefit from the Affordable Care Act’s many improvements to the program, such as closing the “donut hole” deductible in the Part D prescription drug program, eliminating out-of-pocket costs for many preventive services, and strengthening the fiscal solvency of Medicare. All of these provisions – and so much more – were at risk. The case should never have been brought and certainly should never have reached the Supreme Court, leaving health coverage for millions in the balance, including during a global pandemic.
“California v. Texas represented a cynical attempt to use the courts to repeal the ACA, which has provided coverage and made improvements to Medicare and the U.S. health care system for over a decade,” said Judith Stein, Executive Director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy. “The doors to health care for millions of Americans remain open as result of this ruling.”
The Center hopes that today’s decision will finally end attempts to repeal, sabotage, or undermine, the ACA. We will continue to work with our colleagues on strengthening the ACA and Medicare, as we push for health justice for all.
Read the amicus brief that the Center for Medicare Advocacy and colleagues submitted to the Supreme Court, urging it to uphold the Affordable Care Act and highlighting the law’s protections for Medicare’s beneficiaries.