Press Releases

WASHINGTON - On the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) called on the Trump Administration to end its Texas v. U.S. lawsuit, which would strike down the entirety of the ACA as well as pre-existing condition protections for 130 million Americans, including 160,000 Delawareans, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Protecting and building upon the legacy of the Affordable Care Act was one of the main reasons I came to Congress in the first place,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester. “As we commemorate a decade since the passage of this landmark legislation, we must do everything in our power to push back against the continued attacks on the ACA. That’s why today, I’m calling on the Trump Administration to end their lawsuit that would strip away protections for hundreds of thousands of Delawareans with pre-existing conditions. As we fight the coronavirus pandemic, we’re reminded of just how important access to affordable coverage is. That’s why I’m working every day in Congress to expand access and lower the cost of health care.”

Since becoming law in 2010, the ACA has become a pillar of health and economic stability for millions of Americans.  It has protected 160,000 Delawareans with pre-existing conditions, lowered drug costs for over 52,000 Delawareans on Medicare and reduced Delaware’s uninsured population by nearly 32,000.  If the Trump Administration’s lawsuit is successful in gutting the ACA, Delaware families would face staggering consequences:

• Uninsured Rate will Increase: Delaware residents will lose expanded health insurance coverage through the ACA, leading to 28,000 more Delaware residents becoming uninsured – a 41.8% increase in the state uninsured rate.
• Federal Health Care Funding will Decrease: Delaware will lose $302 million in critical federal funding that pays for Medicaid/CHIP care and Marketplace subsidies, harming Delawareans.  
• Pre-Existing Conditions will be Gutted: About 160,000, or 28%, of Delaware residents, will face increased costs or be denied coverage for their pre-existing conditions.
• Prescription Drug Costs For Seniors will Increase: Prescription drug costs will increase for the 12 million Medicare beneficiaries nationwide who have saved on prescription drugs due to the ACA’s closure of Medicare Part D donut hole.

Full text of the letter can be found here.

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