The meaning of the health care decision

On June 24th, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld a critical provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). This decision was a victory for millions of hardworking Americans who are now secure in the knowledge that they can enjoy the benefits of affordable, life-saving health coverage.

In the case, King v. Burwell, challengers to the ACA argued that people who applied for health care in states that did not establish their own exchanges were ineligible for federal subsidies.

Since Texas did not set up its own exchange millions of residents, who enrolled in health plans using the federal exchange, were at risk of losing subsidies which would have made the purchase of health care insurance unaffordable.

Fortunately, a majority of the justices on the Supreme Court rejected the plaintiff’s argument and upheld the ACA. As a result, those at-risk Texans, as well as millions of Americans in the 27 states that did not establish exchanges, will continue to receive subsidies to help pay for health insurance. In Texas, where the state refuses to expand Medicaid while 17 percent of the population remains uninsured, this makes a big difference.

In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health care markets, not to destroy them.” Roberts agreed with the writers and supporters of the ACA, who argued that federal subsidies were always intended to be available to every single American, not just those in certain states.

The ruling will enable Congress to preserve the best and most necessary provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Following two attempts in the Supreme Court, and 60 votes in the House of Representatives intended to undermine the ACA, one thing is clear, the Affordable Care Act works.

Five years after the enactment of the ACA, more than 16 million Americans have enrolled, and the rate of uninsured Americans is now 11.9 percent—the lowest in U.S.  history. It is time to end the attacks on the Affordable Care Act.

I am looking forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to find even more ways to improve the health care law’s affordability, availability, and quality.

Our goal should be to perfect the law so that every American has health insurance coverage. With the success of the ACA, we have the ability to fight chronic disease, invest in medical research and improve our focus on preventive measures. I am committed to finding ways to improve health outcomes for my constituents, and for every American.