Supreme Court Ruling on Affordable Care Act Victory for Pennsylvania

Today’s Supreme Court ruling makes clear – from both Republican and Democratic Justices – that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional.  

This decision will ensure that people with pre-existing health conditions will have the care they need, young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ health plans, small businesses will receive tax health insurance credits, thousands of Pennsylvanians will get rebates from their insurers this summer, and millions will no longer have out-of-pocket costs for routine preventive care.

This is incredible news for Americans who can now rest assured that they can continue to get their health care benefits.  Senior citizens remain safe from the donut hole. People still can’t be denied coverage because of preexisting conditions or be thrown at the mercy of insurance companies.  Young adults can remain on their parents insurance until they’re 26.

The most hotly debated topic, the individual mandate means that people who can afford to purchase health insurance will no longer have their healthcare subsidized by taxpayers.  In fact, the Urban Institute estimates that if the ACA were in effect today, 94 percent of the total population would not have to newly purchase insurance or pay a fine. While a small number of people would be affected by the individual responsibility requirement, the overall benefit to the population would be large, in terms of reducing premiums and increasing stability of insurance markets.

It's also important to remember that because of the Affordable Care Act, millions people in Pennsylvania have benefited from the Affordable Care Act in the first two years. 

• 235,820 Pennsylvanians with Medicare saved an average of $622 on Prescription drugs
• 1,509,076 Pennsylvanians received at least one free preventative care benefit
• 4,582,000 Pennsylvanians no longer have lifetime limits on their health plans
• 64,798 of Pennsylvania's young adults are allowed to stay on their parent's health insurance
• 3,421,000 Pennsylvanians are now protected by the Medical Loss Ratio rule of the ACA
• 4,567 Pennsylvanians with pre-existing conditions now have health insurance
• Community Health Centers in Pennsylvania have received over $26,800,000 to expand services to communities in need

Opponents of the Affordable Care Act need to hear this message loud and clear and stop their partisan attempts to take away health care from tens of millions of Americans by refighting the same political battles.

It is time for everyone to move forward from these partisan battles and focus on fully implementing the Affordable Care Act.