FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Arnice Cottom, 202-777-3913
Statement from APHA Executive Director Georges C. Benjamin, MD
Washington, D.C., December 19, 2019 – "Yesterday afternoon’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit declaring the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate unconstitutional and tasking a lower court judge, who has already ruled against the ACA, with determining the fate of the remaining provisions in the law, is a grave threat to public health.
"The Affordable Care Act is a cornerstone of the U.S. public health system and has saved countless lives by greatly improving access to health care and making prevention and public health a priority through the critical resources provided by the law’s Prevention and Public Health Fund.
"By failing to uphold the ACA, this decision puts the lives of millions of Americans at serious risk. It threatens protections for Americans with pre-existing health conditions. It threatens:
- to create enormous personal and financial uncertainty for those with health coverage through the ACA marketplaces.
- to destabilize the underlying health insurance market for all Americans.
- to reverse all the progress we've made toward a greater focus on prevention.
"These ongoing political attacks on the ACA are a true recipe for disaster.”
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The American Public Health Association champions the health of all people and all communities. We are the only organization that combines a nearly 150-year perspective, a broad-based member community and the ability to influence federal policy to improve the public’s health. Learn more at www.apha.org.