Shaheen Denounces Appeals Court Ruling that Leaves ACA in Jeopardy

(Washington, DC)—U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement in response to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act: 

“The American people should have certainty that the protections and coverage that they’re provided by the ACA won’t be stripped away because of hyper-partisan litigation,” said Shaheen. “Instead, this ruling affirms this reckless effort to strike down the health care law despite the fact that President Trump and Republican leadership have nothing in place to replace it. This is an attempt to do in the courts what couldn’t be accomplished in Congress and the public is adamantly against. The American people should know that for now, the protections and coverage provided by the ACA remain the law of the land. I continue to work across the aisle to lower costs and improve the ACA, and call for an end to the partisan efforts to repeal the health care that so many Granite Staters and Americans depend on.” 

Senator Shaheen has led efforts in the Senate to stabilize the health insurance markets and make health care affordable and accessible for all Americans. In government funding legislation passed by the House of Representatives yesterday, Shaheen helped secure a repeal of the Health Insurance Tax for individuals and small businesses. The government funding bill also repeals the Cadillac Tax and Medical Device Tax. Shaheen led bipartisan legislation with Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) to suspend implementation of the Health Insurance Tax from going into effect to help reduce premiums for Granite Staters. Earlier this month, she and Gardner sent a letter to Senate and House leadership reiterating their call for a suspension of the tax. Shaheen has supported bipartisan efforts to repeal the Cadillac and Medical Device Taxes. 

In April, Shaheen led all 47 Senate Democrats on a Senate resolution that would reverse the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to side with U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor’s ruling to strike down the ACA’s health care protections. Shaheen has also led efforts to restore funding for Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment advertising and outreach activities that the Trump administration cut by 90 percent in 2017.  

Earlier this year, Shaheen unveiled a health care affordability package that includes three pieces of legislation to reduce health care costs for patients and expand access to critical medical services. Together, the Marketplace Certainty Act, Improving Health Insurance Affordability Act and Reducing Costs for Out-of-Network Services Act would make essential reforms to the health care law that would help stabilize the marketplace, lower premiums for middle-class families and combat escalating out-of-pocket health care costs.