Shriver Center Opposes Federal Court Decision Threatening To Overturn the Affordable Care Act

Everyone deserves access to affordable, comprehensive health care, no matter their income, race, gender, or where they are from.

This week, a federal appeals court held that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual mandate is unconstitutional, laying the foundation for the overturn of the ACA and risks the health and well-being of millions of lives especially those who face additional barriers to accessing and affording healthcare due to their race, national origin, and other identities. Although the ruling leaves the ACA in place for now, it threatens to undermine the ACA by stripping health coverage from millions of people. Unfortunately, now people of color stand to lose the most as a result of the appeals court’s politically motivated decision in Texas v. Azar.

The ACA has covered millions of formerly uninsured people across the country.  It has also been one of the most important civil rights movements in history. Recent data have shown that the ACA has reduced inequities in health access and outcomes for communities of color especially in states that have expanded Medicaid like Illinois.

“We cannot go back to pre-ACA days and lose the gains we’ve made by again discriminating in health care coverage against people of color, women, and people with disabilities,” says Stephani Becker, Associate Director of Healthcare Justice at the Shriver Center.

Statement from our Illinois Coalition: Protect Our Care.