ST.
PAUL – The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) on April 1 was among 24 state
hospital associations to submit an amicus brief supporting the Affordable
Care Act (ACA) in the appeal of a 2018 ruling that found the ACA
unconstitutional because Congress repealed the tax penalty enforcing the
law’s individual mandate.
“On
behalf of our 141 member hospitals and health systems, we are very concerned
about this case and the district court’s initial decision,” said Lawrence J.
Massa, president and CEO of MHA. “While we recognize that the ACA is not
perfect and can be improved upon, we supported its enactment, and experience
has demonstrated its benefits. Minnesotans have benefitted from expanding
access to Medicaid and additional federal funding that has supported our
successful MinnesotaCare program, as well as from the ACA’s prohibition on
health plans denying coverage or raising premiums due to pre-existing
conditions.”
The
ACA led to increased insurance coverage in Minnesota and its federal
subsidies have made health insurance premiums more affordable for residents
throughout the state. In addition, the ACA has allowed Minnesotans to receive
preventive services without barriers of copays and deductibles.
In the decision being appealed, known as
Texas v. United States, the district court judge ruled that because the ACA’s
individual mandate was no longer in effect, the other provisions of the law were
unconstitutional. The amicus brief argues that the district court ignored the
ACA’s significant reforms that modernized the delivery of and payment for
health care in the United States. The brief maintains that the ACA’s delivery
reforms are independent of the minimum coverage provision and can be
separated from the individual mandate.
“We
expect that a judicial decision overturning the law would result in returning
hundreds of thousands of lower-income, working Minnesotans to the ranks of
the uninsured,” said Massa. “More people would rely exclusively on the
emergency department for care and lose access to prevention services, and
health plans could deny coverage to those with preexisting medical
conditions. We
are also concerned that these attacks on the ACA – which is current law –
undermine enrollment in health care coverage.”
The
Minnesota Hospital Association represents Minnesota’s hospitals and health
systems, which provide quality care for their patients and meet the needs of
their communities.
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